Box Score
The Mount St. Joseph University men's basketball team maintained its first place lead in the HCAC standings, and in the process tied the program's season victory total, with a 75-57 win at Manchester University on Saturday afternoon. The Lions, 18-5 overall, 13-3 in the conference, lead the HCAC standings by one game over both Defiance College (17-6, 12-4) and Anderson University (13-10, 12-4). The Lions will return to action on Feb. 18 when they play a conference game at Anderson.
The win enabled the Mount to tie their 1999-2000 squad for most wins at 18. That team finished 18-8 overall, the second season of the program's existence.
Once again the Mount started out the game with solid field goal shooting accuracy, getting contributions from a number of players. A three-pointer by Joel Scudder (Greendale, IN/South Dearborn) with 12:05 on the clock gave the Lions a commanding 19-5 advantage. That would be the Mount's biggest lead of the first half, as the Spartans stayed in the game by connecting on numerous free throw opportunites.
The Mount, which out-shot Manchester 55 to 41 percent from the field in the first half, entered the intermission holding a 41-30 lead. The Spartans converted 13-of-15 first half free throws, compared to six-of-seven from the charity stripe for the Mount. The Lions also held a 17-9 rebounding edge over the first 20 minutes of action.
The Spartans connected on seven straight free throws in the second half, to cut the deficit to 44-40 with 14:48 on the clock, and a three-pointer by the home team with 12:19 to play brought them to within one of the lead, 46-45, but they would get no closer. Mark Allen (Cincinnati, OH/Northwest) would score the game's next five points, giving the Lions a 51-47 lead with just over 10 minutes left in the game. Scudder would hit another three-pointer, this time with 6:55 to play to give his team a 61-49 advantage. Scudder and teammate Femi Thompson (Cincinnati, OH/Aiken) helped lead the way offensively down the stretch for the Mount, giving the team their second win in as many tries over the Spartans this season.
Scudder's 21 points led four Mount players in double figures, with Thompson (19), Ken Kunkel (Cincinnati, OH/Colerain), 14; and Allen (11) following in the points column. Scudder also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds, with Kunkel chipping in six rebounds. Allen had four assists. The Mount shot 60 percent in the second half while holding Manchester to 27 percent shooting over the final 20 minutes of play.
