DEFIANCE, Ohio - The Mount St. Joseph men's basketball team hit the road on Wednesday, heading to Defiance in need of a win to stay alive in the hunt for the HCAC tournament. They got that win 77-68 over the Yellow Jackets, behind a quartet of double-figure scorers.
The game was tight one throughout, with the game being tied 11 times, and the lead changing hands 9 times. The back-and-forth action had the game tied at 32 with 3:02 to play in the first half. The Mount then closed the half holding Defiance scoreless the rest of the half, to carry a 36-32 lead into the break.
Coming out of the halftime break, the Lions stretched their lead to a game-high 10-points with 13:14 to play. From there Defiance began to cut into their deficit, eventually tying the game again at 59 with 8:19 to go. At that point
Luke Collinsworth really got going, scoring eight-points over the next 3:13 of action, helping the Lions regain the lead. Once again it was the Mount's defensive effort late that helped to secure the win. They would hold Defiance scoreless over the final 4:00 of action, eventually winning 77-68.
Collinsworth led the way with a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double.
Dylan Hammonds and
Jack Kolar each added 17-points, getting there in different ways. Kolar was 5-of-9 from three-point range, and Hammonds 8-of-17 from the field.
Matthew Menninger was the fourth Lion in double-figures with 11-points.
Willard Cluxton was fantastic running the point for Coach Carrigan, with 10-assists and only a single turnover.
UP NEXT:
The Lions will host Rose-Hulman on Saturday, the winner of that game will have the inside track on the sixth seed in the HCAC tournament. The game is scheduled to tip-off at 3:00 pm.
