NEWBURGH, N.Y. – Mount Saint Mary College junior
Matt Weinberger (Washingtonville, N.Y.) scored 18 points in the second half to lead his team to a 74-67 victory over the Sage Colleges on Wednesday night. The Blue Knights improved to 8-12 overall (7-8 Skyline), while the Gators dropped to 5-14 (4-11 Skyline).
Despite leading by as many as 13 in the first half, the Mount found themselves trailing by five (52-47) at the ten minute mark. Senior
Matt Peters (Colonia, N.J.) knocked down a triple at the 9:37 mark to cut it to two and then sophomore
Carlos Valdez (Slate Hill, N.Y.) banked home a layup to tie the game at 52.
Then, leading 57-56 with 5:44 to play, the Blue Knights took control of the game with a 7-0 run. Weinberger’s layup at the 4:07 mark made it 64-56, but Sage wasn’t ready to go away just yet. In the final minute, freshman Matt Lee (Ballston Lake, N.Y.) knocked down a triple to cut the Gator deficit to three (69-66), but it was Weinberger who continued to make free throws. The junior made 3-of-4 attempts down the stretch and was able put back his own miss with 17 second remaining to make the final score, 74-67.
It looked like the game might get out of hand in the first half as Mount Saint Mary ripped off an 11-0 to lead 33-20 with 1:22 showing on the clock. Sage scored the final nine points of the half, however, and trailed by just four at the horn. Freshman Mervin Springer (Copiague, N.Y.) closed out the first half by stealing an inbounds pass and laying it in.
Weinberger led all scorers and matched a career-high with 22 points. The junior made 7-of-9 attempts from the field and was 8-for-11 at the free throw line. He also dished out 8 assists. Valdez rounded out another solid performance with 20 points and 16 boards, while shooting 7-of-8 from the field.
Although it didn’t show up in the stat line, sophomore
Kevin Milella (Floral Park, N.Y.) played an excellent game for the Blue Knights. He finished with 9 points and 7 boards. Peters also contributed some big minutes for the Mount and totaled 8 points and a pair of assists.
Freshman Mason Horne (Albany, N.Y.) led Sage with 15 points, while freshman Marcus Hunter (Ridge, N.Y.) chipped in with 14. Freshman point guard Jeff Stopera (Scotia, N.Y.) played very hard for the Gators and tallied 10 points, 4 assists, and 4 rebounds.
Mount Saint Mary shot the ball at 46-percent and held a 41-31 advantage on the glass. Sage also connected at 46-percent, but struggled from three-point range (3-of-20).
Still alive in the Skyline playoff hunt, the Blue Knights will host Bard College next Tuesday, February 9. The tip is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. in the Kaplan Center.