Thursday, December 6, 2012 (Newton, Massachusetts) - Mount Ida College men's basketball junior forward Kenny Jean (Dorchester, MA/Brighton) added 11 points and 13 boards in a 93-86 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) loss to hosting Albertus Magnus College Thursday evening in New Haven, Connecticut. The Mustangs drop their second league bid (0-2) falling to an overall record of 3-5.
Along with a solid performance from Jean, Mount Ida saw a team-high 17 points from freshman guard Evens St. Juste (Hartford, CT/Bulkeley). Freshmen guard's Cam Walker (New Bedford, MA/New Bedford) and John Fortes (New Bedford, MA/New Bedford) combined for 23 points while sophomore guard Aaron Kelly (Norwalk, CT/Norwalk) added 16 points and two assists.
Falcon junior Darius Watson (New Britain, CT) became the 11th Albertus Magnus men's basketball player in program history to score over 1,000 points in his career. Watson was one of three Falcons to score in double figures to lead the Albertus Magnus.
Senior James Economopoulos (Wallingford, CT) came off the bench to score 22 points as he began the game 7-of-7 from the floor. Economopoulos was 5-of-7 from behind the arc to tally a career-high in three-pointers made. Julian Sanders (Trumbull, CT) added 14 points off the bench for the Falcons as he hit four 3-pointers, his career-high as well.
With the win, the Falcons improve to 6-0 on the year and 2-0 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play, while Mount Ida falls to 3-5 on the year and 0-2 in league action.
The Falcons opened the game 0-of-9 in the first 2:30 and 1-of-11 in the opening three minutes before a dunk from Watson as the junior tallied his 1,000th career point at the 16:46 mark in the first half. Watson finished the night with 22 points and six rebounds in just 24 minutes played.
With the score tied at six, the Falcons jumped out to a 12-6 lead before Mount Ida battled back to tie the game once again. Mount Ida took its last lead of the night with 4:48 left in the opening frame on a layup by Fortes before Albertus went on a 14-6 run to close out the half. The Falcons struggled from the floor in the first half, shooting 33.3%, before going into the break with a 44-37 advantage.
Albertus opened the second half with a 7-0 run before Mount Ida pulled to within one at 53-52 at the 14:30 mark. A 19-5 run by the Falcons extended their lead to 72-56 as Economopoulos hit his seventh-straight field goal. The Falcons pushed their lead out to 20 with just over three minutes to go as the 20-point advantage was their largest of the contest.
Arshad Jackson (Hartford, CT) dished out a season-high nine assists on the night to go along with five rebounds and two steals in 33 minutes of work. Lemar Larsen (Waterbury, CT) added seven rebounds, four assists and six points for the Falcons.
After shooting 54.5% in the second half, including a 60% clip from behind the arc, the Falcons finished the game shooting 42.3%. Mount Ida shot 44.1% on the night.
The Mustangs will host league foe Rivier College this Saturday with game time slated for 1:00 p.m.
Some Content Courtesy of Albertus Magnus College Sports Information