Emmitsburg, Md. (February 20, 2026)--Luke McEldon and Arlandus Keyes powered Mount St. Mary's to a 76-63 win over Niagara at Knott Arena on Friday night that clinched a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Tournament berth.  McEldon poured in a career-high 25 points while Keyes stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, six rebounds, a career-high six steals and five assists.  Mount St. Mary's has won three in a row to improve to 13-15 overall and 9-8 in the MAAC this season.

Mount St. Mary's scored the first 11 points of the second half to break a 31-31 halftime tie and take control of the game.  Abdou Khadre Kebe started the run with a put back basket ahead of a Justin Amadi driving lay-up.  On the ensuing possession, Keyes stole the ball for a breakaway dunk.  He was fouled on the play and hit the free throw for a traditional three-point play.  Amadi and McEldon notched consecutive buckets in the paint to cap the run for a 42-31 Mount lead with 17:32 remaining.  Leading 49-41, the Mount went on a 12-to-2 run to build an 18-point advantage with just under 10 minutes left in the game.  Xavier Lipscomb scored the final seven points of the Mountaineers in the run for a 61-43 lead.  The closest the Purple Eagles (7-20, 4-13 MAAC) would get the rest of the way would be 11 points.

McEldon hit 11-of-12 shots from the field and all three of his free throw attempts for his career-high 25 points while chipping in six rebounds in the win.  Keyes was also in double figures with his 16-point night, hitting 6-of-13 overall and 2-of-6 from three-point range.  Kebe finished with eight points and 10 rebounds, falling two points shy of recording his third consecutive double-double.  Amadi added eight points and Lipscomb seven in the win.  Josiah Sabino led Niagara with 14 points and eight rebounds off the bench.

McEldon and Keyes combined for 12 points as the Mount opened the game with a 13-4 run.  Niagara fought back, taking its first lead of the game at 20-19 on a Vice Zanki basket.  Niagara's biggest lead was 26-23, but the Mount was able to even the score at the half at 31-31 on a Keyes basket.

GAME NOTES

• The Mount has won the past five matchups with Niagara to take a 6-4 lead in the all-time series.  The Mount is now 6-2 against the Purple Eagles in MAAC regular season games.
• Keyes had a final stat line of 16 points, a career-high six steals, six rebounds and five assists for the Mountaineers.  He is the first Mount player to have 15+ points, 5+ steals, 5+ rebounds and 5+ assists since Jeremy Goode had 22 points, five rebounds, nine assists and seven steals in a 70-58 win over Loyola on December 1, 2007.
• The Mount shot 53.4 percent (31-of-58) from the field in the game, including 62.1 percent (18-of-29) in the Mount's 45-point second half.  The Mountaineers held Niagara to 35.3 percent shooting (18-of-51) in the game, including 5-of-25 (.200) from beyond the arc.
• Mount St. Mary's held a commanding 52-to-20 edge in points in the paint.
• Mount St. Mary's is tied with Fairfield for sixth place in the MAAC standings with a 9-8 record.  The top six teams in the MAAC earn a First Round bye in the MAAC Tournament, which will be held at Jim Whelan Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. on March 5-10. 
• McEldon is the first Mount player to score 25 or more points in a game since De'Shayne Montgomery had 26 in a 77-61 Canisius in the MAAC Tournament First Round on March 12, 2024.

UP NEXT:  Mount St. Mary's hosts Canisius on Sunday, February 22, at 2:00 p.m. for Senior Day.