Box Score
The Mount St. Joseph University men's basketball team got off to a blistering shooting start on Saturday afternoon, hitting 69 percent of their shots in the first half, including seven-of-10 three-point attempts, and held off a late Defiance challenge to post a 68-61 home victory. The win moves the Lions to 11-3 in the HCAC, one game ahead of Defiance in the race for first place in the conference. The Mount goes to 16-5 overall and resumes action on Feb. 11 when they host Bluffton University.
The Lions jumped out to a 14-4 lead against the Yellow Jackets with just over 4:40 having expired in the game. The Mount would control both ends of the court during the first 20 minutes of play, making 18-of-26 shots from the field, and hitting all seven of their free throws. They also controlled the boards, 19-12, as they led by as many as 24 points (2:46) in the opening half. Joel Scudder (Greendale, IN/South Dearborn) paced the Lions' first half offensive attack with 16 points, making all three of his three-point shots, helping the Mount to a 50-28 lead at the break.
The Mount held a comfortable double-digit lead throughout most of the second half, getting contributions from a number of players. A three-point play by Defiance cut the deficit to 64-55 with 3:10 left in the game. The visiting Yellow Jackets would narrow the gap to 64-59 with 2:06 left in the game, and then again at 66-61 with 30 seconds left but would get no closer. The Lions iced the game down the stretch from the free throw line, maing four-of-five from the charity stripe in the second half.
Scudder led the Lions with 20 points, while Bobby Murdock (Cincinnati, OH/Anderson) added 14 points and seven rebounds. Ken Kunkel (Cincinnati, OH/Colerain) chipped in 12 points and seven boards while Femi Thompson (Cincinnati, Oh/Aiken) had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
