Box Score CINCINNATI, Ohio- The Mount St. Joseph University men's basketball team welcomed the Spartans of Manchester University to the Harrington Center for a Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup on Saturday. The Lions secured a 71-62 win to snap a seven game losing skid.
The Mount came out of the gate hot, with a 9-0 run after Manchester knocked down a three on the opening possession of the game. The Spartans battled back, an exciting first half , going into the break down by just one at 36-35. The Lions were able to keep pace with Manchester, with the help of freshman Avery Paddock's (Alexandria, Ind./Alexandria) nine first half points, capped off by an emphatic left-handed dunk over two Manchester defenders. Along with Paddock's nine, Devin Young (Crestwood, Ky./ South Oldham) and Brady Thomas (Grove City, Ohio/ Bishop Ready) contributed eight and seven first-half points respectively.
Coming out of the half-time break, both teams continued to battle back and forth, with several lead changes. As the half continued, the Lions began to take control of the game pushing the lead to eight at 54-46 on a jumper by Cedric Woods (Fairfield, Ohio/Fairfield) with 10:17 to play. Spartans seemed to take control of the momentum after a pair of dunks, allowing them to close the lead that the Lions had built. The came all the way back to tie the game with 5:43 to play. However, freshman Sammy Robbins (Linton, Ind./ Linton-Stockton) hit a huge three pointer with 4:12 remaining in the game to give the Lions a 62-58 lead. This shot ended up being a turning point in the game that allowed the Lions to take control of the game. After this huge shot, the Lions were able to go on a 12-4 run to close the game, bringing the final score to 71-62.
This game ended with four out of the five Lion's starters in double digits, Paddock led the way with a career-high 19 points, followed by Thomas with 15, Reece Thomson (Franklin, Ind./ Alexandria) adding 12 points and Young scoring 10 points. Young and Paddock were able to clean the boards for the Lions, with each player coming up just a single rebound short of a double double. On top of Paddock's impressive scoring and rebounding totals, he led the Lions in assists with three. Overall, the Mount led the game in almost every major category. The Lions shot an impressive 47.5% from the field, while shooting 35.3% from the three-point line. They also pulled down 33 rebounds as a team. Finally, they were able to force 14 Manchester turnovers, leading to 17 points for the Lions.
UP NEXT:
After this big win, the Lions look forward to sparking a late season run, in hopes of climbing the HCAC rankings. On Wednesday, the Lions will travel to Hanover, Ind. to take on HCAC rival Hanover College. Tune into MSJsports.com for all of your live game coverage!
