Villanova, Pa. (November 9, 2021)—Mount St. Mary's men's basketball opened the 2021-22 season today, falling on the road to No. 4 Villanova, 91-51, at Finneran Pavilion.  Malik Jefferson paced the Mountaineers with 13 points and five rebounds while Nana Opoku chipped in 11 points.

Jefferson hit 6-of-7 from the field for his team-high 13 points while Opoku added 11 points and five rebounds.  Mezie Offurum had a final line of nine points, three rebounds and three assists with sophomore Dakota Leffew chipping in seven points.

In his first game with the Mount, UAB transfer Jalen Benjamin tallied seven points, four assists and four rebounds.  Freshmen Jedy Cordilia and Jaylin Gibson along with transfer Elijah Elliott made their Mount debut in the game as well.

Justin Moore scored a career-high 27 points to lead the Wildcats, who shot a torrid 16-of-30 (533) from three-point range, including 8-of-12 from beyond the arc in the second half.  Brandon Slater and Jermaine Samuels each added 17 in the win while Collin Gillespie finished with 13.  Villanova scored 27 points off 18 Mountaineer turnovers in the game, and finished the game shooting 56.7 percent from the field.

The Wildcats opened the game with a 10-0 run to take control early before the Mount's Offurum scored the first bucket of the season.  Midway through the first half, Benjamin hit a corner three-pointer and Leffew added a traditional three-point play for six unanswered points to cut the deficit 22-13 with 8:22 left in the half.  Villanova responded with an 11-0 run to push the advantage to 33-13.  From there, Villanova was able to maintain the lead for a 45-21 lead at the break.

Turnovers proved to be a key in the first half as Villanova scored 16 points off nine Mount miscues.  The Wildcats shot 17-of-30 (.567) from the field in the opening half, connecting on 8-of-18 (.444) from three-point range.  Offurum, Benjamin and Leffew each scored five points to pace the Mountaineers in the half.

Trailing 45-21 at the half, Mount St. Mary's opened the second half with a quick 6-0 run on a pair of Offurum free throws, a Nana Opoku hook shot and a Benjamin jumper.  The Wildcats countered with an 11-2 run to stretch the lead to 56-29.  From there, Villanova was able to maintain the advantage for the win.

Mount St. Mary's returns to action on Thursday night when Washington College visits Knott Arena for the home opener at 7:00 p.m.  The Mount, the defending Northeast Conference champions, will drop the championship banner prior to the game.