2/1/2006 - (Newburgh, NY) – When all is said and done, and the 2005-06 Men’s Basketball season is over, whether or not Mount Saint Vincent advances to the Skyline Conference playoffs may ultimately be secondary to the lesson that current and future members of the team have learned since shortly after 2006 began . It was only 27 days ago that an 86-76 loss to St. Joseph’s (LI) represented the team’s seventh straight loss and dropped the Mount to 3-9, virtually eliminating the Dolphins from post-season contention. But instead of packing it in and planning for the future, first year Head Coach Michael Murphy challenged his team to come together and make the season a success. The Mount responded, and Wednesday night was the greatest proof yet that Mount Saint Vincent is officially the most dangerous team in the Skyline Conference.

Senior James Mooney scored a game-high 30 points, and added seven steals, six rebounds, and six assists as the Mount Saint Vincent Men's Basketball team stunned defending Skyline Conference Champion Mount Saint Mary, 89-86 on Wednesday night at Mount Saint Mary. The Dolphins are now 9-11 overall and 5-6 in Skyline Conference play, and will host Stevens on Saturday at 4:00.

Senior James Mooney (Bronx, NY/Iona Prep) scored a team-high 30 points and added seven steals, six rebounds, and six assists, and fellow senior Greg Casey (Mount Vernon, NY/Blessed Sacrament) added 28 points on 11 for 18 shooting as Mount Saint Vincent scored the upset of the year in the Skyline Conference with a stunning 89-86 win over defending Skyline Conference Champion, Mount Saint Mary during a game played at Mount Saint Mary. Only 18 days after Mount Saint Mary embarrassed the Dolphins 115-89 at Mount Saint Vincent, the Mount responded with their first win over the Blue Knights in more than four years, their third straight win overall, and sixth win during their last eight games. And with a 9-11 overall record and 5-6 record in Skyline Conference play, the Dolphins are still alive in the hunt for the post-season.

It certainly did not seem like Mount Saint Vincent would gain the upset during the early part of the first half as the Blue Knight backcourt duo of Mike Hoyt (Florida, NY/S.S. Seward) and Julio Ramirez (Queens, NY/Hyde Prep) – who combined for 59 points during the Mount Saint Mary win 18 days ago – had the hot hands early, and the Blue Knights (17-4, 8-3 Skyline Conference) led 14-6 just over four minutes into the game. However, at that point, Mooney and Casey took over and led the Dolphins on a 14-0 run to give the Mount a lead they would hold for much of the rest of the game. A last-second three-pointer by Mooney have Mount Saint Vincent a 47-41 lead at half time.

An 8-0 run for the Dolphins opened the second half and put Mount Saint Vincent ahead by double digits. The Dolphins led by as many as 14 points with 8:55 remaining in the game, but Mount Saint Mary engaged in a furious comeback to make the final minutes of the game tense for both teams.  A 14-3 Blue Knight run made it a one-point Mount Saint Vincent lead with 4:40 left in the game. Then four straight Mount Saint Vincent turnovers allowed Mount Saint Mary to take an 83-79 lead less than two minutes later.

However, as seems to be the theme for the Mount Saint Vincent season, just when it seemed as if the Dolphins were finished, they came storming back yet again. The Mount finished the game on a 10-3 run over the final 2:43 to clinch the game. Freshman Kerek Walker (New York, NY/Rice) hit a three-pointer with 2:18 remaining to give the Mount an 85-83 lead. After a Mount Saint Mary turnover, the lead was extended to four points when senior Jarrett Hersche (Bronx, NY/Cardinal Spellman) converted two free throw attempts with 1:29 left in the game. The final nail in the Mount Saint Mary coffin came 30 seconds later when Mooney forced his seventh steal of the game and hit a jump shot to make it 89-83. Mount Saint Mary was able to hit a three-pointer to make the final seconds interesting, but Mount Saint Vincent prevailed.

While Mooney and Casey stole the show with an incredible shooting night, the play of Walker and sophomore Derek Charlton (Yonkers, NY/St. Raymond’s) was also noteworthy as Walker scored a career-high 13 points on 4 for 5 shooting, while Charlton added eight points on 4 for 5 shooting.

Mount Saint Vincent scored the upset win thanks to one of their best shooting nights of the season as the Dolphins converted 52% of their field goal attempts, while Mount Saint Mary shot only 34% from the floor. The Dolphins also held a 42-39 rebounding edge, and dominated the inside game, outscoring the Blue Knights 40-20 in the paint.

With a 5-6 Skyline Conference record, Mount Saint Vincent is currently in eighth place in the Skyline Conference, a mere few percentage points out of a playoff berth, but with Stevens, St. Joseph’s (LI), and USMMA ahead of the Mount and each holding three games at hand, the Dolphins still cannot afford to lose a game if they are to reach the post-season. On Saturday, Feb. 4, the Mount hosts Stevens at 4:00 p.m. in a game that is not only the biggest of the season for the Dolphins, but perhaps the biggest in the careers of four Mount Saint Vincent seniors. The game will be the back end of a doubleheader with the Mount Saint Vincent Women’s Basketball team, and will take place in the Grace Athletics Center on the campus of the College of Mount Saint Vincent.