Box Score DELHI, Ohio -- Mount St. Joseph found themselves in the middle of a classic HCAC game against Hanover late in the second half of play on Wednesday evening. After a Holden Hertzel (Cincinnati, OH / Summit Country Day) jump shot tied the game at 60-60 with two minutes remaining the Lions had a chance to win the game down the stretch. This time Mount St. Joseph would be unable to capitalize on their opportunities in the last two minutes of regulation, falling to the Panthers 72-64.
Early in the game the Lions and Panthers were locked in a close match with Hanover holding a contested lead for the majority of the first half. Cam Fails was the spark for the Panthers in the first half, scoring 16 points in the first 20 minutes while also pulling down 4 rebounds. Although the Lions could not find an answer for Fails, they were able to stay in the game in the first half by playing a complete team game. Although eight different Lions were able to put up points in the first half, they would go into halftime trailing 34-29.
Andrew Finley (Cincinnati, OH / Walnut Hills) came out firing in the second half, trying to bring the Lions back and lead them to victory. Finley was able to put up 16 second half points while also finding a way to slow Fails down, holding him to just 6 second half points. Although the Lions were able to climb back into the game late, the Panthers went on a 12-4 run in the last two minutes to put the game out of reach.
Andrew Finley was huge for the Lions in their attempt to take down HCAC-leading Hanover. The Lion point guard dropped 23 points while cashing in 3 times from long distance and dishing out a team-high 3 assists.
The Mount will take to the court again Saturday, as they travel to Earlham for their final game of the regular season. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 3:00 PM.
