NEWTON, Mass. – Sixth seeded Mount Ida College will open up their 2016 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball tournament run in New Haven, Connecticut on Tuesday evening when they tip off against #3 seed Albertus Magnus College at 7:00 pm.
How They Got Here:
After opening the season by nearly upsetting Johnson & Wales, the Mustangs (11-14, 7-11 GNAC) had an up and down conference schedule, at one point winning three straight but ending the season on a four-game slide.
The four-time defending GNAC champions, Albertus Magnus (18-5, 14-4 GNAC) enter the tournament on a four-game winning streak that includes knocking off the top-seeded Wildcats on February 13th and slipping past the Mustangs in Newton just a week ago.
Series and Tournament History:
This is the second straight appearance in the GNAC postseason for Mount Ida, and the fifth overall, with Mount Ida still looking for their first postseason victory. The Falcons and Mustangs have never met in the playoffs before this year.
The Falcons have been overwhelmingly dominant between the teams, winning 15 of the 17 meetings between the programs and all eight contests in New Haven, Conn. Mount Ida's last win came in 2010, a 65-62 victory in Newton, Mass.
Players to Watch:
A balanced attack for the Mustangs features five players averaging in double-figures in scoring, led by Joey DeFillippi (Bristol, Conn.) (13.4 ppg) and Ethan Dujon (Warwick, R.I.), who averages 12.9 points.
Sophomore Jayson Clark (Austin, Texas) dishes out 4.5 assists per game and on the defensive end tallies over two steals a contest while averaging 11.6 points.
Off the pine, the Mustangs look to John Oliver (N. Babylon, N.Y.) for scoring (10.4 ppg) and the hot shooting of Brendan Cunningham (Quincy, Mass.), who shoots 38.2% from behind the three-point line.
Boasting the soon-to-be GNAC Rookie of the Year in Shontaey Lovell (Brooklyn, N.Y.), the Falcons benefit from his 18.0 points and 12.1 rebounds per game. Along with Lovell, sophomore Jaqhawn Walters (Hartford, Conn.) averages a double-double with 15.7 points and 10.3 rebounds per game, along with a team-high 4.0 assists.
The ball handler for the Falcons is senior Marc Wilson (Jersey City, N.J.), who has piled up 1.5 steals and 14.4 points per game, shooting 48.1% from the field.
How to Follow the Game:
If you can't make it to Connecticut, you can follow the game live by watching the video or following the live stats at the links below:
Live Stats: http://www.mountidamustangs.com/sports/mvball/2015-16/boxscores/20160222_gpdn.xml
Video: http://www.mountidamustangs.com/links/m0ytas
GNAC Men's Basketball Tournament Schedule
Quarterfinals - Tuesday, February 23
Game 1: #8 Saint Joseph's Maine at #1 Johnson & Wales - 7:30 PM
Game 2: #5 Emmanuel at #4 Anna Maria - 7:00 PM
Game 3: #6 Mount Ida at #3 Albertus Magnus - 7:00 PM
Game 4: #7 Suffolk at #2 Lasell - 7:00 PM
Semifinals - Thursday, February 25
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 4 winner
Championship - Saturday, February 27
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner