Riverdale, N.Y. (March 4, 2023)—Mount St. Mary's withstood a second-half Manhattan rally to earn a 74-69 win on Saturday afternoon.  Jalen Benjamin led the Mount with 21 points while Dakota Leffew added six of his 16 points in the final minute in the win.  The Mountaineers have won four of five games to close the regular season with 12-19 overall record and an 8-12 mark in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference.  With the win, the Mount clinched the No. 8 seed in the MAAC Tournament and will face No. 9 seed Canisius on Tuesday, March 7, at 5:00 p.m. at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J.

Leading 42-30 at the half, the Mount saw Manhattan (12-17, 10-10 MAAC) open the second half with a 25-to-7 run to build a 55-49 advantage.  Benjamin scored the next six points on a jumper and 4-of-6 free throws.  The Mount took the lead at 57-55 when Jedy Cordilia rebounded a Benjamin missed free throw and finished the putback with 7:23 on the clock.

The Jaspers fought back again, using a Josh Roberts alley-oop dunk to tie the score, and a Samir Stewart three to take the lead.  Ant Nelson then scored on a drive to make it 62-57 with 5:35 remaining.
Deandre Thomas came through with a three from the left corner to make it a two-point game, and Benjamin hit 1-of-2 a the line to cut the deficit to one.  Thomas then drilled another three, this one giving the Mount a 64-62 advantage with 3:31 on the clock.

Benjamin's turnaround jumper with 1:50 left made it a 66-62 Mount lead, and after a Manhattan bucket, Leffew hit a tough pull-up jumper with 58.9 seconds left to restore the Mount's four-point lead.  Nelson scored in the paint, but after a timeout, Thomas found Leffew streaking down the court for a breakaway jam for a 70-66 advantage.  Nelson hit 1-of-2 at the line, and Leffew countered with two free throws to put the Mount up by five.  From there, the Mount was able to salt away the victory.

Benjamin finished with a game-high 21 points, hitting 3-of-5 from three-point range and 8-of-12 at the foul line in the win.  Benjamin has scored 20 or more points in five of his past eight contests.  Leffew added a solid all-around effort with 16 points, seven rebounds and three assists  while Cordilia hit 6-of-7 from the field for 12 points while chipping in five boards.  Thomas had an efficient 10 points on 3-for-4 shooting overall, hitting 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.  Jefferson had eight points and a game-high 11 rebounds in the victory.

Nelson led Manhattan with 17 points and seven assists with Robert finishing with a double-double of 14 points and 10 boards.  Brennan also reached double figures with 15 in the loss.

The Mount started the game quickly behind five points and three rebounds from Jefferson for an early 9-2 lead.  After three consecutive Manhattan points, the Mount scored the next six, capped by a Cordilia basket to take its first double-digit advantage at 15-5.

Leading 17-12, the Mount rattled off the next 13 points to take an 18-point lead just past the midpoint of the first half.  Leffew started the run with a three, Tinsley added a jumper and Lipscomb connected from deep for a 25-12 lead.  Benjamin added a pull-up jumper from beyond the arc, and Cordilia capped the run with a bucket for a 30-12 advantage.

The Mount maintained the comfortable margin with Thomas hitting a teardrop floater with 2:24 left I the half.  The Jaspers were able to end the half on a 7-0 run to make it 42-30 at the break, the final three points coming on a Raziel Hayun three at the buzzer.

The Mount shot 57.1 percent (16-of-28) in the first half, including 6-of-11 (.545) from three-point range while also holding a 23-to-8 edge on the boards.

Jefferson appeared in his 132^nd career game for the Mountaineers, setting the school record for games played.  Jefferson breaks the mark of Junior Robinson, who played in 131 games from 2014-18.

Up Next:  The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Tournament begins on Tuesday, March 7, at Boardwalk Hall Atlantic City, N.J.  The Mount will face No. 9 seed Canisius at 5:00 p.m. on March 7.  The winner of that game will face No. 1 seed Iona on Wednesday, March 8, at 7:00 p.m.