Wayne, NJ - The University of Mount Saint Vincent's men's basketball team was on the road for the third straight time this season, this time heading to New Jersey to challenge William Paterson University. The Dolphins will have to wait until their home opener to look to secure their first win, as they dropped the contest to Pioneers by the sore of 79-70. 

The loss put UMSV at 0-3 to start the 2024-25 campaign. 

Despite the loss, senior DJ Tucker continued the strong start to his final campaign in Riverdale. The Boynton Beach, Florida native had yet another standout performance for head coach James Mooney, as he led the Dolphins in scoring with 21 points on 54% shooting while grabbing nine rebounds with three steals. Tucker also added a pair of assists and a block to his stat line. 

Freshman guard Aidan McCahey earned his second consecutive start and rewarded the decision by finishing with 12 points with a game-best four steals. Fellow first-year Dolphin Max DePina added nine points of his own while adding both two steals and two blocks. Senior forward Adrian Rraci came off the bench and provided eight points and eight boards and Alex Chi had eight points as well. 

The Dolphins fell into an early hole, trailing by as many as 15 points over the first 10 minutes of the first half. UMSV, however, would chip away at William Paterson's lead. A run led by Tucker that saw the guard score seven points in the team's 9-0 run to make it a one possession contest. The Pioneers, however, would regain their groove and lead by six at the break.

The second half mirrored the first. The Dolphins would once again trail by double digits in the early goings as their struggles on offense would continue. A DePina three pointer with 10:38 left in regulation put UMSV within six, but that would be as close as the team would get before time expired. 

The Dolphins will look to pick up their first win of the year in their home opener. They'll challenge Misercordia inside the Sharp Center on Tuesday with a 7 PM tip-off.