NEW LONDON, Conn. – Mount Ida College men's basketball held off FDU Florham 67-66 in Saturday afternoon's championship game to win the 2015 Coaches vs Cancer Tip Off Tournament, hosted by Connecticut College.
Patrick McKearney (Avon, Conn.) and John Oliver (N. Babylon, N.Y.) both scored in double-figures and were each named to the All-Tournament team as the Mustangs improved to 3-1 on the year.
The tight game featured 12 ties and 11 lead changes, and it was a three-pointer by Mount Ida sophomore Joey DeFillippi (Bristol, Conn.) with 22 seconds left that broke a 63-63 tie and gave the Mustangs the lead for the final time. McKearney made one free throw down the stretch, which was enough to help Mount Ida escape with the win despite a good three-pointer at the buzzer by Devils freshman Jayyson Hughes (Apopka, Fla.).
Hughes had 14 points and was one of two Devils in double-figures, joining Steve Herdman (South Amboy, N.J.), who poured in a team-high 16 points.
For the Mustangs, McKearney led the squad with 18 points and seven rebounds, while Oliver scored 15 points on 5-10 shooting off the bench.
Oliver's jump-shot with 28 seconds left in the first half was all that separated the teams at the break (33-31). Mount Ida led by eight points after a McKearney layup with 12:12 left in the game, but an 8-0 run by the Devils had the game close again, and FDU Florham took the lead thanks to four straight free throws made by Herdman.
Mustang junior Ethan Dujon (Warwick, R.I.) hit a jumper to tie the game back up at 56 and the Mustangs would get their noses in front after a three-point play by Kevin Conner (Marshfield, Mass.), but Derek Leohner (Freehold, N.J.) made a triple with 41 ticks left to even the game at 63.
Dujon scored 12 points for the Mustangs, while point guard Jayson Clark (Austin, Texas) had a game-high eight assists, two steals, and seven rebounds. Jesse Nelson (Hopatcong, N.J.) scored six points, all of them in the second half, for the Mustangs.
Leohner scored eight points, with his three-pointer his only contributions from the floor (5-9 free throws). He also grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.
The Mustangs will host Newbury on Tuesday evening at 7:00 pm in the second half of a doubleheader with women's basketball, which begins at 5:00 pm. Mount Ida beat the Nighthawks 83-73 yesterday in the opening game of the Coaches vs Cancer Tournament.
FDU Florham (1-2) heads to Hoboken, N.J. on Tuesday for a 6:00 pm showdown with Stevens Tech.
The Coaches vs. Cancer program unites the American Cancer Society with our coaches in the fight against cancer. Donations made at this weekend's games will go directly to the lifesaving efforts of the American Cancer Society to fund research, provide free programs for people with cancer and their caregivers, advocate for better cancer screenings and treatment, and provide education and information for all those who seek it. We thank you for your contribution and generosity. Thank you to all the fans for coming out to support the cause!