Emmitsburg, Md. (February 17, 2023)--Jalen Benjamin scored 26 points, including a clutch turnaround jumper in the closing seconds, to power Mount St. Mary's to a 70-66 victory over Niagara at Knott Arena on Friday night. The win moves the Mount to 9-18 overall and 5-11 in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference this season. 

Xavier Lipscomb scored on a putback of his own miss with 2:24 remaining to give the Mount a 65-58 lead and then regained possession after Benjamin drew a charge.  The Mount, however, turned the ball over and Niagara's Noah Thomasson connected on a pair of free throws to make it 65-60.  Benjamin was off the mark on a step-back jumper with a minute left, and Joe Kasperzyk converted a traditional three-point play with 42.1 seconds on the clock to make it a two-point game.

On the ensuing possession, Benjamin got into the lane, and hit a tough turnaround jumper with 16.5 seconds remaining to put the Mountaineers ahead, 67-63.  After a Niagara timeout, Benjamin blocked a Kasperzyk three-pointer with George Tinsley collecting the rebound.  Tinsley was fouled, and he hit both free throw attempts to make it a six-point advantage.  Thomasson kept it interesting, draining a three-pointer with 5.9 seconds left, and Niagara fouled Lipscomb.  The junior guard hit the first of two free throws to make it a four-point lead to seal the win.

Benjamin's 26-point effort is his third 20-point game over the Mount's past four contests, averaging 21.8 points over the four-game span.  Benjamin finished 9-for-18 from the field and 6-of-7 at the foul line.  Tinsley added 17 points and seven rebounds in the victory, his second-best scoring effort of the year.  Thomasson scored 17 of his team-high 21 points in the second half to lead Niagara while Kasperzyk tallied a season-high 17 points and team-high six rebounds off the bench.

In the opening half, Benjamin and Tinsley combined to score all the points in an 11-0 run to give the Mount a 19-13 advantage.  Tinsley capped the run with a three-pointer with 6:20 left in the opening 20 minutes.  The Purple Eagles responded with an 8-to-2 run to even the score, but the Mount countered with a 7-0 run to rebuild the lead.  Frantisek Barton started the run with a free throw, Dola Adebayo hit a three-pointer, and Deandre Thomas a jumper for a 28-21 margin with 1:22 left in the half.  It was 30-26 after Niagara's Sam Iorio converted a traditional three-point play, but Benjamin closed the half with a three-pointer at the buzzer for a 33-26 advantage.

The Mount scored the first four points of the second half to take its biggest lead of the contest, 37-26, with 18:29 remaining.  Leading 39-29, the Mount saw Niagara rattle off 10 unanswered points to tie the game.  Iorio and Kasperzyk each hit threes to start the run that was capped by back-to-back Thomasson buckets.  Thomasson hit a step-back jumper with 11:22 left to give Niagara a 43-41 advantage. 

The Mountaineers countered with a Tinsley drive that tied the score, and Benjamin put the Mountaineers back ahead with a traditional three-point play.  After a Niagara miss, Jedy Cordilia finished a lob pass from Benjamin to make it 48-43 with 9:29 on the clock.  From there, the Mountaineers were able to maintain the lead with Tinsley connecting for a three-point play and a 63-56 advantage with 3:18 on the clock, setting up the closing action.

Mount St. Mary's shot 48.0 percent from the field in the game and 6-of-13 (.462) from three-point range.  The Mount added a 16-for-20 (.800) effort at the charity stripe while holding a 29-to-27 edge on the boards.  Niagara finished the game shooting 45.1 percent overall, but was just 7-of-24 (.292) form beyond the three-point arc.

The Mount continues its three-game homestand on Sunday, February 19, when Canisius visits Knott Arena for a 2:00 p.m. matchup.