Emmitsburg, Md. (January 5, 2025)--A strong second half propelled Mount St. Mary's past Niagara, 68-62, in Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference action at Knott Arena on Sunday afternoon. The Mountaineers rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit to secure the victory.
Carmelo Pacheco led five Mountaineers in double figures with 14 points.
Niagara held a 37-26 lead at the half, and a double-digit advantage early in second half, 41-31, after a Justice Smith basket. The Mountaineers responded, rattling off a 10-0 run to tie the score with just over 13 minutes remaining in the game. Pacheco ignited the run with a pair of three-pointers while
Jedy Cordilia basket on a feed from
Xavier Lipscomb capped the spurt. Niagara scored the next four points, and held a 50-48 lead with 6:54 remaining after another Smith bucket, but another 10-0 run put the Mountaineers on top.
Lipscomb started the run with a drive to the basket, and
Arlandus Keyes broke the 50-50 tie with a three-pointer on a pass from
Dola Adebayo. After a stop on the defensive end, Adebayo found Pacheco open for another three for a 56-50 Mount lead.
Terrell Ard Jr.'s basket in transition capped the run, giving the Mount a 58-50 lead.
The Purple Eagles (6-8, 1-2 MAAC) whittled the deficit to 61-58 with 2:46 on the clock, and got the ball back after a Mount turnover. The Mountaineers were able to force a turnover on the next possession, leading to an Ard Jr. basket on a goaltending call that put his team up by five. The Mount got a stop on the next possession, and Lipscomb sealed the win, draining a three-pointer with 35.6 seconds left to make it 66-58.
Pacheco finished the game with a team-high 14 points, hitting 4-of-8 from three-point range in the victory. Cordilia added 12 points, four rebounds and three blocks with Keyes and Ard Jr. adding 11 points each. Lipscomb was the final Mountaineer in double figures with 10 points while adding five rebounds and four assists. Jahari Williamson led all scorers in the game with 15 points for Niagara while Russell added 14 and Smith 13 in the loss.
Mount St. Mary's shot 47.8 percent from the field in the game, including 9-of-19 (.474) from three-point range. Niagara shot 39.1 percent (25-of-64) from the field and 8-of-27 (.296) from beyond the arc. The Purple Eagles held a 37-to-27 edge in rebounding. The Mount forced Niagara into 19 turnovers while committing 18.
Keyes hit consecutive three-pointers to give the Mount an early 13-to-8 advantage. The Mount held an 18-17 lead with just under eight minutes left in the half, but the Purple Eagles outscored the Mount, 20-to-8, the rest of the way to grab a 37-to-26 advantage at the break.
GAME NOTES
- Mount St. Mary's outscored Niagara, 42-25, in the second half. The Mount shot 14-of-22 (.636) from the field and 7-of-11 (.636) from three-point range in the second half.
- Keyes had his best game as a Mountaineer, finishing with 11 points, six rebounds and four assists. The 11 points matched his season high while his six rebounds are a season-high for Keyes.
- The Mount had five players score in double figures for the sixth time this season, the last being in the Mount's 78-74 overtime win at Miami (Fla.)
- Niagara now leads the all-time series, 4-3. The Mount has won three of the five regular season meetings against the Purple Eagles since joining the MAAC in 2022-2
UP NEXT: Mount St. Mary's plays at Manhattan on Friday, January 10, at 7:00 p.m.
