(Purchase, NY) – Mount Saint Vincent Men's Basketball senior James Mooney (Bronx, NY/Iona Prep) entered Tuesday night's crucial Skyline Conference game at Manhattanville so close to becoming the all-time leading scorer in Mount Saint Vincent history that he could almost taste it. 62 points away from the record with only two games to play, Mooney set out to narrow the gap even further between second place and Mount Saint Vincent Basketball immortality against a Manhattanville team that downed the Mount by 47 points on Dec. 20. By the way Mooney played during the first half on Tuesday, he nearly shattered the record a game ahead of schedule as he turned in one of his finest efforts of the season. And while the Mount lost for the fourth straight time, 100-84 to the Valiants, Mooney inspired his team to battle with one of the Skyline Conference's best in a game that the Dolphins nearly pulled out.

Mooney was simply unbelievable during the first half of play, scoring 25 points on 10 for 13 shooting during that stretch as the Dolphins shot 58% from the floor and trailed 49-46 at halftime after leading by as many as nine points during the first 20 minutes. While Mooney was slowed during the second half and finished with 39 points, his Mount teammates picked up the slack, and the two teams went into an outright slugfest as the clock wound down, and when Mooney hit a three-pointer with 6:12 remaining in the game, the Dolphins trailed only 82-79. However, at that point, Manhattanville's depth took over and the Valiants (16-8, 10-4 Skyline Conference) went on an 18-5 run during the closing minutes to gain the 14-point game-ending advantage. But the game was far closer than the final score indicated as the action featured 11 lead changes and 10 ties.

Also for the Mount, senior Greg Casey (Mount Vernon, NY/Blessed Sacrament) added 16 points, six assists, and eight rebounds, while Derek Charlton (Yonkers, NY/St. Raymonds) chipped in 12 points and five rebounds. Senior Charles Hernandez (Bronx, NY/Msgr. Scanlan) had a fine evening with eight assists and seven rebounds. Overall, the Mount outrebounded Manhattanville 38-36, but turned the ball over 15 times, compared to Manhattanville's 5, leading to a 19-0 Valiant edge in points off turnovers.

Mooney's effort leaves his task at hand very simple. He has scored 1,761 career points. Dolphin great Danny Costello scored 1,783 career points during his illustrious career to set the Mount Saint Vincent record. Mooney has one regular season game to score 22 points and tie Costello, or score 23 and become the all-time leading scorer in Mount Saint Vincent history. The team's final game will be on Saturday, Feb. 18 at 8:30 p.m. when the Mount hosts arch-rival Yeshiva University. The game will have even more meaning as it is not only Senior Night for Mooney, Casey, Hernandez, and Jarrett Hersche (Bronx, NY/Cardinal Spellman), but it is also a must-win for the Dolphins as a win on Saturday, combined with two losses by USMMA-Kings Point, will give Mount Saint Vincent the eighth and final Skyline Conference playoff berth. Indeed, if Mooney's amazing Mount Saint Vincent career is to end on Saturday, it will be under the most dramatic of circumstances. He has averaged an incredible 37.7 points per game during the Mount's last three games to get to this point, and has now scored 30 points or more in a single game nine times this season, and at least 20 points during a single game 17 times this season. His 26.6 points per game average has him exactly one point per game out of the Skyline Conference lead for scoring.

Whether Mooney can put one final stamp on one of the finest athletics careers in Mount Saint Vincent history will be determined on Saturday night at the Grace Athletics Center on the campus of Mount Saint Vincent. Admission is free of charge and the game will be the conclusion of an athletics quadrupleheader which features a Men's Volleyball doubleheader beginning at 2:00 p.m. and the Men's Basketball Alumni Game at 6:00 p.m.