No. 4 MOUNT ST. MARY'S (11-10) at No. 2 BRYANT (15-5)
Northeast Conference Championship Game
Tuesday, March 9, 7 pm
Smithfield, R.I. | Chace Athletic Center

TV:  ESPN2 (Rich Hollenberg, Dan Dakich) | LIVE STATS | MOUNT GAME NOTES

MOUNT UPDATE:  Mount St. Mary's used a strong defensive effort to earn a 66-60 win at top-seeded Wagner in the NEC Tournament semifinals on Saturday.  Damian Chong Qui and Nana Opoku each scored 14 points in the win while Malik Jefferson chipped in a double-double of 10 points and 10 rebounds.  Mezie Offurum scored the go-ahead basket with 34.3 second remaining in the game on a transition pass from Chong Qui.  The Mount held Wagner to 36.1 percent shooting in the game. 
 
ABOUT THE BULLDOGS:  Bryant rolled to an 85-55 victory over Sacred Heart in the semifinals on Saturday despite missing two starters and some key reserves due to COVID protocols.  All five starters scored in double figures in the win over Sacred Heart with Peter Kiss leading with 19.  Hall Elisias added 18 points and nine rebounds while Charles Pride chipped in 16 in the victory. Bryant is the top scoring team in the NEC, averaging 84.7 points per game.  The Bulldogs are 10-0 at home.  Kiss was a First Team All-NEC selection with Michael Green III earning Second Team All-Conference honors.

THE ALL-TIME SERIES WITH BRYANT:  The Mount swept the season series last year to improve to 15-9 all-time against Bryant.  Mount St. Mary's won 67-65 at Bryant before earning a 79-76 win at Knott Arena.  The Mount is 10-2 at home and 5-7 on the road against the Bulldogs.  This will be the first meeting between Mount St. Mary's and Bryant this year after the regular season two-game series scheduled at Bryant was postponed on Feb. 4-5 and the reschedule on Mar. 2-3 canceled due to COVID 19 protocols.

DAMIAN CHONG QUI NAMED FIRST TEAM ALL-NEC:  Damian Chong Qui was named First Team All-NEC on Friday.  Chong Qui is the seventh Mount player to earn First Team All-NEC honors since the school joined the league in 1989-90.  The list is a who's who among Mount guards including Chris McGuthrie (1994-95 and 1995-96), Riley Inge (1995-96), Gregory Harris (1998-99), Jeremy Goode (2008-09 and 2009-10), Elijah Long (2016-17) and Junior Robinson (2017-18).  Chong Qui, the NEC's Most Improved Player and a Third Team All-Conference selection last year, is averaging 14.9 points and an NEC-best 5.5 assists per game this year.  He improved those numbers to 15.8 points and 5.9 assists in the Mount's 16 NEC regular season contests.
 
OPOKU WINS NEC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR AWARD:  Nana Opoku was named the Northeast Conference Defensive Player of the Year on Friday.  He is the third Mountaineer to win DPOY honors, joining Chris Wray (2017-18) and Mychal Kearse (2005-06 and 2006-07).  Opoku averages 1.9 blocks, including a league-best 2.1 in NEC games.  Opoku adds 7.2 rebounds per game as well.  Opoku has become a key cog in the Mount's offense as well, averaging 12.6 points over the past eight games, shooting 59.0 percent (46-for-78) over that stretch.  He has reached double figures in each of the past eight games and in 13 of the Mount's 21 games this year.

THE MOUNT AND THE NEC TOURNAMENT:  The Mount has qualified for the NEC Tournament in 14 of the past 16 years.  The Mountaineers have qualified in each of the past two seasons.  Counting this season, Mount St. Mary's has qualified for 24 of 30 NEC Tournaments since joining the league in 1989-90.  The Mount was ineligible for the NEC Tournament in its first two seasons in the league.  The Mount is 28-18 all-time in the Northeast Conference Tournament, the highest winning percentage (.600) of the 10 teams that are currently in the conference.  Mount St. Mary's is 1-1 in the Opening Round, 14-8 in the Quarterfinals, 8-7 in the semifinals and 5-2 in the championship game.  The Mount won titles in 1995, 1999, 2008, 2014 and 2017.  The Mount is the lowest seed (#6 in 1999) and second-lowest seed (#4 in 2008 and 2014) to win the NEC Tournament title.
 
PLANTING A SEED:  This is the fifth time the Mount will be the No. 4 seed in the NEC Tournament.  The Mount has an impressive 7-2 record as the No. 4 seed, winning the title in both 2008 and 2014.  The lost in the NEC Quarterfinals the other two times as the No. 4 seed (in 2006 and 2015).
 
THE MOUNT AND THE NEC CHAMPIONSHIP GAME:  Mount St. Mary's is appearing in the Northeast Conference Championship game for the eighth time since joining the league in 1989-90.  This will be the sixth time the Mount will be playing for the title on the road. Mount St. Mary's is 3-2 on the road, 1-0 at home and 1-0 at a neutral site in the NEC Championship. Mount St. Mary's won the NEC Championship game in 1995, 1999, 2008, 2014 and 2017 while falling in 2009 and 2014. Bryant will be the Mount's seventh different opponent in the NEC Championship game.  The only team the Mountaineers have faced twice is Robert Morris (2008 and 2009).

MOUNT VS. BRYANT IN THE NEC TOURNAMENT:  Mount St. Mary's is 1-0 against Bryant all-time in Northeast Conference Tournament games.  The Mount defeated the Bulldogs, 75-69, in the 2013 NEC Quarterfinals on March 6, 2013 in the lone NEC Tournament matchup between the two schools.  The Mount, seeded fifth, used an 11-2 run in the second half to break out to a 58-50 lead.  From there, the Mount was able to hold off the Bulldogs for the win. Rashad Whack led the Mountaineers with 19 points, eight rebounds and four assists.  Shivaughn Wiggins added 16 points, while Julian Norfleet and Raven Barber chipped in 14 each in the win.  Alex Francis had 25 points and eight rebounds in the loss while Dyami Starks chipped in 19 points and eight boards.
 
GETTING DEFENSIVE:  Defense continues to be the key to the Mount's success this year.  The Mount is tied for 13th in the nation in scoring defense this season, allowing 62.0 points per game. The 62.0 points per game allowed is the best single-season mark by a Mount team since 1950. In NEC regular season games only, the Mount allowed a league-low 61.0 points per game while leading the circuit in defensive efficiency (94.8), effective field goal percentage (44.3), field goal percentage defense (.395), rebound margin (+6.4), blocked shots (4.0), defensive rebound percentage (.753), two-point defense (.442) and block rate (10.6).  Overall, the Mount allows a league-best 62.0 points per game while also leading in defensive efficiency (100.4), field goal percentage defense (.407), rebound margin (+5.1) and defensive rebound percentage (74.6) while being second in three-point defense (.300).

ON THE BOARDS:  The Mount is averaging 36.9 rebounds per game while holding opponents to 31.8.  The +5.1 rebound margin is the best by a Mount team in 51 seasons.  The 1969-70 squad had a rebound margin of +8.9, averaging 56.3 boards per game while allowing 47.4.
 
UP NEXT:  The winner of the NEC Championship game advances to the 2021 NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament.