(New York, NY) – For the fourth consecutive game, the Mount Saint Vincent Men's Basketball team went toe-to-toe with one of the toughest teams on their schedule during the first half of play, and left the floor for halftime thinking that had a chance to score a major win … and for the fourth consecutive game, the Dolphins quickly saw the early optimism erode into a double-digit loss. On Wednesday night, Yeshiva was the latest team to turn in a commanding second half performance, outscoring the Mount 47-26 during the final 20 minutes en route to a 76-54 Macs win. With their fourth straight loss, Mount Saint Vincent is now 3-6 overall, and 1-2 in the Skyline Conference.
The Dolphins got off to a fast start, thanks to the hot hand of senior James Mooney (Bronx, NY/Iona Prep), who scored 17 of his game-high 26 points during the first half of play. Between Mooney's heroics, an outstanding defensive effort, and a 52% team shooting percentage, the Mount was within striking distance at halftime and trailed 29-28. However, Yeshiva (6-4, 4-1 Skyline Conference) seemed to be a new team during the second half, shooting an unbelievable 78% from the floor (14 for 18), and hitting 16 of their 20 free throw attempts to blow the game wide open. The 76-point outburst marked Yeshiva's best offensive performance of the 2005-06 season.
Mooney had another fine evening for the Mount, and is now one point shy of tying for third place on the list of all-time leading scorers in Mount Saint Vincent history. Greg Casey (Mount Vernon, NY/Blessed Sacrament), also had a fine night, chipping in 11 points, but the rest of the Dolphins combined for only 17 points. Mount Saint Vincent also struggled to shoot during the second half, converting only six of their 25 field goal attempts for points (24%). The Dolphins were outrebounded 30-22 for the game as well.
During their four-game losing streak, against four of the best teams on their 2005-06 schedule, Mount Saint Vincent has trailed by an average of four points at halftime, but lost by an average of 25 points per game. The Mount will look to change their fortunes on Tuesday, Dec. 20 when they play their final game of 2005, a home date with Manhattanville College at 7:00 p.m.
