EMMITSBURG, Md. (February 5, 2022) – Mount St. Mary's men's basketball battled to the final possession Saturday and had a chance to knock out Bryant on the last play of the game. But with a lob chance under the basket nowhere to be found, the Mountaineers tried Jalen Benjamin for a corner three. The Bulldogs blocked the shot and escaped Knott Arena with a 62-61 win.
 
Mezie Offurum led the Mount in points with 16, followed by Benjamin who gritted out a 13 point effort. Nana Opoku missed out on a double-double by one point but cleaned on the glass with 11 rebounds – seven going on the offensive end. Malik Jefferson added double digit rebounds with 10, and Dakota Leffew contributed seven points going 3-for-7 from the floor.
 
As a team, the Mountaineers shot 37.3 percent, but put together a solid defensive effort, holding Bryant under their season average for points and field goal percentage. But three pointers for the Mount were at a premium, with the squad shooting 3-for-24 on the day.
 
Inhibited by the loss of the suspended Peter Kiss, Bryant found their workhorse in Charles Pride. Registering half of his team's shots, the junior posted 14-for-30 to score 32 points and added 10 rebounds for a double-double.
 
Mount St. Mary's saw a six-game win streak snap and their record draw back to .500 at 11-11 (7-5 NEC). Bryant maintained their grip on second place in the Northeast Conference, improving to 14-8 (11-1 NEC).
 
The Bulldogs snatched the early lead, with Pride beginning his shooting spree right at the tip. One of the few treys from the Mount knotted the score at 7-7, courtesy of Deandre Thomas. Bryant built the edge back to 12-7 before the Mountaineers splurged on a 12-0 run. Boosting the enthused crowed of 2,764, Offurum thundered down the paint for a dunk, posterizing the Bulldogs' Josh Ozabor in the process and exchanging the lead.
 
After Leffew hit a floater in the paint, Pride stymied the run with a triple and the Mount's lead bounced between three and 10 points. Number five for the Bulldogs carried the offense over the final three minutes scoring all eight. Benjamin and Opoku supplied answers for the Mount as the home side took a 36-31 lead at the break.
 
The momentum shifted to Bryant in the immediate moments of the second half. Pride got the first bucket, followed by a game-tying three from Erickson Bans. A 9-0 burst transferred the lead to the Bulldogs before Offurum kept the contest within a possession via a driving layup.
 
Despite the key made baskets from the Bulldogs, the Mount remained in striking distance, never allowing the advantage to reach double digits. Over a four minute stretch, Bryant gave the Mountaineers an opportunity to storm ahead by scoring only two points, and they closed the gap to a point thanks to two shots from Offurum and one by Opoku.
 
Trading baskets and foul shots, the teams played to a 60-59 Bulldogs score as the game entered the home stretch. Pride secured a layup to put his side up three and a trio of subsequent chances by Mount St. Mary's fell off the mark. A turnover inside of one minute allowed Thomas to penetrate the paint and finish a layup.
 
On the final Bryant trip down the floor, Pride was met with vigorous defense and lost the ball. Jaylin Gibson earned the steal and the Mount called time to set up a play. Benjamin bolted into the paint from the wing and dished off to Opoku. A strong challenge from the Bulldogs was determined to be clean by the officials, but the Mount retained the ball. Leffew handled the inbounds and tried to locate Opoku or Jefferson for the lob. With that well covered, he found an option with Benjamin in the corner. The shot left his hands with enough time, but Joe Moon IV got a hand on it, and the ball hit the floor as time expired.
 
Mount St. Mary's finds no rest for the weary as they travel to Staten Island to face undefeated NEC leader Wagner. The 5 p.m. tip-off airs live on ESPNU.