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Sean Caputo netted 13 |
After the two teams traded the lead in the early going on Thursday, the Dolphins jumped in front for the remainder of the first half after a Pat Panetta (Ridgefield Park, N.J.) jumper with 14:28 to play in the period.
The bucket ignited a 19-4 run for the Dolphins that was capped by a pair of Guavard free-throws to push the Mount in front 27-10 with just under seven minutes left to play before halftime.
The lead would stay in double-figures until a Kevin Milella free-throw sliced the Mount Saint Mary deficit to eight with 4:12 left in the half. Mount Saint Vincent would get the lead back up to 10 points twice in the final two and a half minutes of the frame, but a Carlos Valdez bucket got the Blue Knights to within 36-28 at the intermission.
Mount Saint Vincent shot a red hot 60.9-percent from the floor in the opening twenty minutes, knocking down two three-pointers and going 6-for-8 from the stripe. Caputo led all scorers in the period with 12 points after going 4-for-6 from the floor overall and draining a pair of triples.
After shooting just 35.7-percent in the first half, the Blue Knights rebounded by shooting better then 59-percent in the second period on their way to outscoring the Dolphins 55-36.
The Dolphins would be able to hold on to the lead until Valdez scored six straight points during a 13-0 run that would move the visitors in front by eight with just over 10 minutes to play in regulation. Mount Saint Mary would jump in front by as many as 14 points after a Lenny Ragaglia triple with 4:48 to play in the contest.
The Dolphins had one final push in them as they took advantage of some poor free-throw shooting from the Blue Knights and some strong play from junior J.R. Downey (Highland Falls, N.Y.).
Downey came off the bench to score eight points in eight minutes of action, including a three point play and a trey that got the Dolphins to within five points with just under two minutes to play.
The Dolphins were able to slice into the lead after Mount Saint Mary converted just 10 of 24 free-throws over the final 3:39 of the contest. The five point deficit would be as close as the Mount would get however, as the Blue Knights tallied the final six points of the contest to earn the 11 point decision.
Mount Saint Mary rebounded to shoot 44.8-percent for the game and outscored the Dolphins 27-14 from the free-throw line. Valdez led five players in double-figures with 24 points on 8-for-13 shooting overall. He also handed out five assists and grabbed eight rebounds.
Guavard finished the night 7-for-9 from the floor for the Dolphins and 10-for-13 from the free-throw line. He matched the game-high with 24 points and also added an assist, a steal and seven rebounds.
Caputo only tallied one point in the second half and finished with 13 on the night. He handed out three assists for the Dolphins. Shaquille Cunningham (Brooklyn, N.Y.) chipped in with eight points and a team-high five assists on the night.
The loss is Mount Saint Vincent’s second straight and fifth in its last six games. The Dolphins stand at 7-9 overall on the season and 4-8 in league play heading into Saturday’s game with Farmingdale St. Tip-off with the Rams is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
