Box Score Emmitsburg, Md. (February 17, 2022)--Mount St. Mary's saw a late lead slip away as St. Francis Brooklyn rallied for a 64-55 win at Knott Arena on Thursday night.  Mezie Offurum led the Mount with 17 points while Nana Opoku added 12 points and seven rebounds in the game.  The Mountaineers fall to 12-13 overall and 8-7 in the Northeast Conference with the loss.

The Mount saw St. Francis Brooklyn close the game on a 21-to-4 run over the final 6:23 to rally for the victory.  Rob Higgins was the catalyst for the surge, scoring 15 of the 21 St. Francis Brooklyn points during the run.  The Mount led 53-51 with 5:04 left after a Deandre Thomas hook shot, but Higgins scored the next nine points of the game, including a go-ahead three-pointer in transition that gave his team a 56-53 advantage with 2:14 remaining.  The Mount missed on its next possession, and St. Francis Brooklyn was able to score on a Patrick Emilien putback of a Higgins miss on a drive with 1:25 left for a 58-53 lead.  The Mount then turned the ball over, and Emilien scored a lay-up near the end of the shot clock to make it a seven-point game with 42 seconds left.  The Terriers were able to close out the game from there to secure the come-from-behind win.

Tied 29-29 at the half, the Mountaineers held a 38-37 lead with 13:26 left in the second half.  The Mount then went on a 10-to-2 run over the next four minutes to build its biggest lead of the game, 48-39.  Thomas scored six points during the run, opening it with a traditional three-point play and closing with a three-pointer with 9:16 left.  The Mount led 51-43 after a Dakota Leffew three-pointer with 6:23 on the clock before the Terriers rallied.

Offurum led the Mount with 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting in the game, scoring 15 of his 17 points in the first half.  Opoku went 5-for-8 from the field for his 12 points while adding seven boards while Thomas chipped in 10 pionts, five rebounds and four assists in the game.  Leffew, making his first collegiate start, finished with five points and a career-high 10 rebounds.  The Mountaineers were missing leading scorer Jalen Benjamin and leading rebounder Malik Jefferson, who were out due to injury.  Higgins finished the game with 27 points, five rebounds and three assists for the Terriers, who improved to 9-17 overall and 6-9 in the NEC.  Emilien and Wilcox, Jr., added 10 points each in the victory.

Mount St. Mary's shot 41.4 percent (24-of-58) in the game, including just 2-of-13 (.154) from three-point range.  St. Francis Brooklyn shot 47.9 percent (23-of-48) and were 7-of-14 (.500) from beyond the three-point arc.  The Mount held a 37-to-28 rebound edge.

The first half was a close-knit affair with the biggest lead by either team being three-points.  Offurum provided most of the Mount offense in the half, scoring 15 points on 7-of-8 shooting.  The Mount shot 13-of-24 (.542) in the opening half despite an 0-for-6 performance from three-point range.  St. Francis Brooklyn shot 47.8 percent (11-of-23) in the first half, but were 4-of-9  (.444) from three-point range.

The top four teams in the NEC regular season standings earn a home game in the conference tournament quarterfinals, and the Mount is currently tied for fourth in the NEC standings with Merrimack, who is not eligible to participate in the NEC Tournament.  The Mount leads St. Francis Brooklyn by two games with three remaining and holds a magic number of two to secure a quarterfinal home game. 

The Mount returns to action on Saturday, February 19, when it hosts third-place LIU for Senior Day.  Tip-off for the game is set for 4:00 p.m. at Knott Arena, and prior to the game, the Mount will honor seniors Jalen Jefferson, Malik Jefferson, Offurum and Opoku.