RIVERDALE, NY - The CMSV Men's Basketball team returned to the court on Saturday afternoon, hosting Skyline Conference rival Mount Saint Mary's College (MSMC). The Dolphins were down by as much as 10 at the end of the first half but they would hold the Knights to just 27% shooting in the 2nd half, to win 57-52. The victory improves CMSV's record to 5-13 overall and 3-6 in conference play.
The Dolphins were led by
Matthew Sowah, who scored a game-high 14 points.
Andrew Curiel chipped in with 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists and two blocks.
This marks the first win for interim head coach
TJ Tibbs, who took the reins of the team less than 24 hours before tip-off.
Early on in the first half the game went back and forth with the teams trading baskets for the first 4+ minutes of action. Sowah hit one of his three 3-pointers to put the Dolphins ahead 10-7 with 15:49 left in the half and a few possessions later,
David Collins made a jumper to put CMSV up 12-7.
MSMC answered back with a basket of their own but
Austin Mick drained a three to give CMSV their largest lead of the first half with 12:59 left.
However, over the next five minutes, the Knights went on a 14-2 run to take their own six point lead with 8:10 left in the half, on a Jovin Ramos jumper.
The Knights lead would swell to as much as 10 late in the first half after TJ Patsalos made a jumper to put MSMC ahead 32-22 with 1:37 left before halftime.
In the second half, MSMC would hold a nine point lead twice in the opening two minutes, thanks to two mid-range jumpers by Connor Nicholson.
Trailing 36-27, after Nicholson's second made jumper, the Dolphins responded by going on a 13-1 run to turn a nine point deficit into a 40-37 lead after a Collins jumper with 11:55 left in the game.
The game would be tied two time in the final five minutes, but CMSV would never surrender the lead, as they held the Knights to just six made field goals in the final 20 minutes of action. Each time MSMC tied the game, the Dolphins would come back on their next possession and take the lead back.
The first tie occurred with 4:10 left in the game, after which the Dolphins responded with a back-to-back layups by Curiel and
Claudio Nmezi.
With 2:12 remaining, Tyler McDine nailed a jumper to tie the game at 51 but despite not hitting a field goal in the final 2:52, the Dolphins would connect on 6-of-8 from the free throw line to secure the five point victory.