NEWTON, Mass. – Mount Ida College shot 60.5% from the field in the second half and overcame a ten point deficit to defeat Lesley University 81-67 in non-conference men's basketball action on Thursday evening at Mount Ida Athletic Center.
Freshman Patrick McKearney (Avon, Conn.) scored 18 points in the victory for Mount Ida, and his thundering two-handed slam on an offensive rebound gave Mount Ida their largest lead of the night, a 79-61 advantage with 45 seconds to play after Lesley had led by ten points early in the second half.
That was when Ethan Dujon (Warwick, R.I.), who finished the game with 16 points, scored 13 straight points in just under three minutes during a 13-2 run, tying the game with a three-pointer at 12:19 left in the game.
The Mustangs took the lead for the first time since the first half on a pair of free throws by Treace Macklin (Brockton, Mass.), but three-pointers by Chris Barletta (Valrico, Fla.) and Justin Rosa (East Brunswick, N.J.) helped Lesley regain a three-point advantage.
Mount Ida (3-13) ripped off another run, this time an 11-0 spurt that put them up eight points. They held the Lynx to just two points and no field goals for nearly five minutes, and freshman John Oliver (North Babylon, N.Y.) put the Mustangs up by double-digits with a three-pointer of his own with 5:20 to play.
A layup by Jacob DiDomenico (N. Providence, R.I.) was the only field goal that Lesley could manage over the course of nearly seven minutes, with the Mustangs widening the gap by shooting 4-9 from behind the three-point line in the final twenty minutes.
DiDomenico had a strong game in the middle for Lesley (2-15), posting a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds and swatting four Mount Ida shots. Rosa and Terrell Toney (Lakewood, Wash.) were also in double-figures for the Lynx, adding 15 and 12 points, respectively.
Oliver, who had 12 points in the victory, and Macklin, opened the game with back to back three-pointers, while DiDomenico scored two early buckets to get in the groove. Mount Ida took a six point lead on a three-pointer by Jayson Clark (Austin, Texas) and a layup by McKearney, but Barletta's layup with 8:25 left in the first half gave the visitors a 20-19 lead.
A jumpshot and a layup by Rosa helped quickly expanded the lead up to 7 points and it settled at five points, 30-25, after both teams were held scoreless over the final 3:11 of the opening frame.
A converted three-point play by Rosa in the opening five minutes of the second half pushed the Lynx lead to double digits, 40-30, before Dujon, who was held to just one point in the first half, began his offensive explosion.
Clark added 11 points, two assists and two steals in the win, and fellow freshman Joey DeFillippi (Bristol, Conn.) dished out four assists to lead the Mustangs. Macklin scored nine points and pulled down four rebounds in the victory.
McKearney had a team-high seven rebounds and also picked up two blocks and two steals, while Brendan Cunningham (Quincy, Mass.) contributed seven points, five rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal.
Casey Blanchard (Bernardston, Mass.) was 3-4 from behind the three-point line for nine points for the Lynx. Toney and Rosa combined for seven assists and three steals, with Toney, Corbin Polec (Okemos, Mich.) and Matt Gianoni (Berlin, Conn.) helping out on the boards with five rebounds apiece.
Mount Ida had been held to just 26.7% shooting in the first half, but finished the night firing at a 44.4% clip, while Lesley shot 47.1% from the floor, with a 53.8% performance helping them to their first half lead.
The Mustangs return to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play in two days' time, when they take their home court against Suffolk University on Saturday afternoon at 1:00 PM.
Lesley will be back in conference play as well, hosting Southern Vermont College in New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) play Saturday at 6:00 pm.