Box Score Emmitsburg, Md. (December 3, 2025)--Mount St. Mary's had five players scored in double figures, but came up short in ann 87-80 loss to Sacred Heart in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference opener at Knott Arena Wednesday night.
Justin Amadi led the Mount with 16 points and nine rebounds while
Anastasios Rozakeas and
Mason So added career highs of 15 and 13 points, respectively, in the game. The Mount falls to 2-7 overall and 0-1 in the MAAC with the loss.
Trailing 13-10 four minutes into the game, the Mount went on a 13-to-2 run to build its biggest lead of the contest at 23-15 with 12:38 left in the opening half.
Arlandus Keyes and
Xavier Lipscomb each drained three-pointers to put the Mount on top, 16-15. Rozakeas then added a traditional three-point play and Yakha Diop added a pair of free throws to make it 21-15. Amadi scored in the paint to cap the run.
The Pioneers (3-5, 1-0 MAAC) responded with a 12-to-3 run to regain the lead with Abdou Yadd hitting a triple to put Sacred Heart ahead. The Mount held its last lead of the game, 31-29, after a Lipscomb basket off a steal. Yadd connected on his third three-pointer of the opening half for a 32-31 Sacred Heart lead. A Yann Farell three-pointer gave the Pioneers their biggest lead of the opening half at 47-37. The Mount was able to cut the deficit to 49-45 on a So basket, but Dashon Gitten hit a putback at to close the half for a 51-45 Sacred Heart advantage.
Trailing 55-45 early in the second half, the Mount surged with nine consecutive points to cut the deficit to one.
Luke McEldon started the run with a bucket in the pain, and Lipscomb scored on a fastbreak after a steal. McEldon added another basket, and Rozakeas drained a three-pointer to make it 55-45. After a Sacred Heart free throw,
Yakhya Diop scored on a feed from Keyes to tie the score. Sacred Heart regained the lead on an Anquan Hill basket, but So countered to tie the score on a pull-up jumper. Jaden Slaughter's turnaround jumper gave Sacred Heart a 60-58 advantage and a lead the Pioneers would not relinquish.
Sacred Heart held a 74-66 advantage with 3:53 left before the Mount rallied one more time. Amadi scored the next five points, including a traditional three-point play with 3:13 on the clock that made it 74-71. Amadi scored in the pain with 1:54 left to pull the Mount within three at 78-75. On the next possession, the Pioneers had the ball on the baseline with one second left on the shot clock, but came away with a basket on a lob to Gittens on the inbounds pass for a five-point lead with 1:21 left. The Mount turned the ball over on the next possession, and Gittens sealed the win with a three-point play with 36 seconds remaining.
Amadi led the Mount with 16 points and nine boards, hitting 6-of-8 from the field. Rozakeas hit 4-of-7 from three-point range en route to his career-high 15 points while Keyes and So each scored 13 points. Lipscomb was the fifth Mountaineer in double figures with 10 points. Lipscomb and Keyes each dished out six assists. Gittens led all scorers with 23 points while adding seven rebounds with Yadd adding 21 points, including 5-of-8 on three-pointers. Farell added 17 points and Nyle Ralph-Beyer 10 for the Pioneers in the win.
The Mount shot 50.0 percent (31-of-62) in the game, hitting 9-of-27 (.333) from three-point range. Sacred Heart shot 43.9 percent overall (25-of-57), hitting 13-of-34 (.382) from three. The Pioneers held a 38-to-29 edge on the boards, and a 25-to-15 advantage in second-chance points.
GAME NOTES
- Mount St. Mary's now holds a 31-16 lead in the all-time series with Sacred Heart, including an 18-7 mark at home.
- Amadi missed his second consecutive double-double by one rebound. He is averaging 18.5 points and 9.5 rebounds over the past two games.
- This is the third year in a row the Mount has dropped its MAAC opener. The Mount lost at Marist, 53-50, last year and at Manhattan, 75-74 in overtime, in 2023.
- Sacred Heart was 10-for-21 (.476) from three-point range in the first half in taking a 51-45 lead at the break.
UP NEXT
- Mount St. Mary's has a quick turnaround with a MAAC road game at Marist on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. That begins a three-game road swing for the Mountaineers.
- The Mount does not return home until a noon game on December 21 against Penn State Brandywine
