Throggs Neck, N.Y. – Senior
Mark Waite (Chicago, Ill.) recorded his fourth double-double of the season and was one of five players to score in double-figures as the College of Mount Saint Vincent Men's Basketball team snapped a four game losing streak with an 80-76 triumph at Maritime.
A tightly contested game throughout, the largest lead for either squad was nine points after a
Stephen Oliver (Brooklyn, N.Y.) trey in transition put the Dolphins in front 30-21 with 3:42 left in the first period. The triple capped a 15-5 run for the Mount over a three minute stretch.
Maritime would answer the Mount's run with an 11-3 spurt of its own to pull within one point, at 33-32, heading into halftime. Sam Porte kept the Privateers close over the first 20 minutes after netting 16 points. He went 7-for-10 from the floor in the first frame, while Maritime shot just 36.7-percent overall.
Mount Saint Vincent hit on 50-percent of its field goal opportunities before the half and knocked down three triples, including two from Oliver.
Cody Gauvard (Rockaway Park, N.Y.) led the Dolphins at the half with 11 points on 5-for-9 shooting.
The Dolphins would open the second half on a quick 8-2 run to open a seven point advantage with 17:21 left in regulation. Gauvard scored six of the eight points for the Mount and
Chris Bonaventura (Staten Island, N.Y.) capped the run with a fast break bucket.
The Privateers would again answer back with the next nine points of the game to wrestle the lead away from Mount Saint Vincent after a pair of Mike McSloy free-throws with 13:20 left to play. Maritime would hold the lead and expand its advantage to its largest of the night at eight points after a two more McSloy free-throws with just over nine minutes left to play.
Trailing 53-45, Mount Saint Vincent strung together 13 of the next 15 points to pull in front for good in the game.
Sean Caputo (Staten Island, N.Y.) drained a pair of triples over the run and has now connected on five three-pointers over the last two games.
Maritime would get its deficit down to just two points twice in the final 4:44, but Waite converted a three-point play with 2:43 to play and the Dolphins converted eight free-throws down the stretch to hold off the Privateers.
The Dolphins scored a season-high 80 points in the game and shot 44.4-percent from the floor. It was the first time in the last four games the Dolphins have shot better then 40-percent as a team and it is the highest field-goal percentage of the season.
Mount Saint Vincent knocked down five three-pointers in the game, with Caputo going 2-for-4 on the night and Oliver converting two of the five he took. Bonaventura knocked down the other triple for the Dolphins.
Gauvard finished the night leading the Dolphins in scoring with a season-high 18 points on 8-for-15 shooting. He also grabbed four rebounds for Mount Saint Vincent and finished the night with a pair of steals.
Waite finished another strong all-around effort with 13 points and a team-high 11 rebounds. He also swiped a pair of steals and led the team on the night with three assists. Bonaventura and
Shaquille Cunningham (Brooklyn, N.Y.) each netted 12 points and Caputo reached double-figures for the second straight game with 11 points.
Sam Porte led Maritime with game-highs in points with 29 and rebounds with 13 after shooting 12-for-16 from the floor. McSloy poured in 20 points on the strength of 10-for-12 shooting from the free-throw line and also led the way with a game-high five assists.
The Dolphins held the advantage in transition points on Thursday 15-6 and also turned 23 Maritime turnovers into 26 points. With Porte leading the way, Maritime scored 48 points in the paint, marking the second straight game the Mount has surrendered at least 40 points inside.
With the win, Mount Saint Vincent improves its overall record to 2-5 on the season and its Skyline Conference mark to 1-2. The Dolphins will look to stay in the win column on Saturday when they travel to FDU-Florham for a non-conference match-up with the Devils. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
