Newburgh, N.Y. - The College of Mount Saint Vincent men's basketball team took the road on Saturday afternoon for a conference matchup with conference rival Mount Saint Mary. The men were looking to avenge their early season loss and snap their current two game losing streak and climb back in to the Skyline playoff picture. Despite a great effort, the Dolphins fell short on the road, losing by the score of 71-63. 

The first half was a high energy affair which saw the Knights jump out to a 19-9 lead with 10 minutes remaining in the half.  Over the first 10 minutes of play, CMSV had only taken 12 shots and only connected on four. The Knights would extend their lead to 27-13 with eight to play in the first half, but the Dolphins seemed to have found their grove. Claudio Nmezi got to work in the paint, drawing a foul and connecting on two free throws. Then the following possession, he drew a double team and kicked it out to Kalos Evans, who knocked down the three ball cutting the lead to single digits at 27-18. CMSV would continue to cut into the lead thanks to Nmezi and Evans, who scored 12 straight for the Dolphins. Makai Johnson would get in on the action as he knocked down two huge three balls to give the Dolphins their first lead if the day at 33-31 with 44 seconds to play in the first half. CMSV would hold this lead going into halftime. The Dolphins shot a season high 50% from beyond the arc in the first and got contributions from all over the roster.

The second half did not get off to an ideal start for the Dolphins, as the Knights came out on a 13-2 lead to take a 44-35 lead. This run came to an end on a Brian Brooks jumper with 14 minutes remaining to play in the game. After trading a few baskets, CMSV got back on track and closed the gap back to two at 46-44 with 11 minutes remaining in the contest. The Knights had an answer for this run, and over the next three minutes they pushed their lead back to eight at 52-44. But Evans and Johnson brought the Dolphins right back with big three balls and tied it up at 56-56. From here on Mount Saint Mary took over and never looked back, ending the game on a 15-5 run. 

On a positive note, the Dolphins got great efforts new faces. Nmezi recorded his first career double double with 10 points and 12 rebounds, while Johnson added 13 points. The Dolphins are now 5-12 overall and 4-8 in conference. CMSV will take the court again this Wednesday against St. Joseph's Brooklyn and will look to snap their three game skid.