DOVER, Del. (December 30, 2023) – Mount St. Mary's men's basketball found themselves unable to sustain an eight-point halftime advantage against the Delaware State Hornets. The home side outpaced the Mountaineers 44-32 in the second stanza to take the contest, 77-73.
The trio of
Dakota Leffew,
Dallas Hobbs, and
De'Shayne Montgomery each posted double figures in the contest, led by Leffew's game-high 21. Hobbs went 7-for-14 to finish with 16, and Montgomery added 13, averaging a point for every two minutes of playing time.
Jedy Cordilia tallied eight boards to match the game high, and Hobbs supplied five assists.
Delaware State received 20 from Martaz Robinson with another 18 from Jevin Muniz.
Trailing 22-16 after the first 10 minutes, the Mountaineers went on a 25-point tear heading towards halftime. A Montgomery trey pulled the visitors within one below the eight minute mark, and a Hobbs fast break layup transferred the lead. Another bucket by Hobbs, followed by successful shots from
Dola Adebayo and Leffew amounted to a seven point swing and a healthy lead at the break.
Tides began to swing towards the Hornets a few minutes into the second half. From the 13:43 mark to 8:45, DSU compiled a 15-5 run. With the contest level at 60, the Hornets hit a three to go ahead and later earned a 6-0 run to take a 69-62 advantage.
Out of the final media timeout, the Mount refused to concede quietly. Montgomery kicked off a 6-0 run bolstered by two Adebayo baskets. Down 71-70 following a Cordilia layup, the Mountaineers got a stop and had the opportunity to steal the lead late. Thanks to offensive rebounds, the Mount had three chances, but no shot attempt proved true, and foul shots from the Hornets iced the game.
Sitting at 5-8 for the season, the Mountaineers return to Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) play January 5 at home, hosting the Canisius Golden Griffins. Tip-off is 7 p.m. from Knott Arena.
