Led by a 70% shooting performance in the second half of tonight's contest, the No. 19 Albertus Magnus men's basketball team downed Mount Ida College 106-91 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play on Thursday evening.
Albertus finished the night shooting 60.9% from the field on a 39-of-64 showing from the floor. The Falcons were led by six players in double figures as Darius Watson (New Britain, Conn.) and Arshad Jackson (Hartford, Conn.) led the way scoring 20 and 21 points, respectively.
Watson, who scored his 1,000th career point earlier this season against the Mustangs at home, tallied 20 points to mark his 10th game of the season with 20 or more. For Jackson, it was his second-straight game with 20 or more points, while he shot 7-of-8 from the field and 7-of-9 from the free-throw line. Jackson added six rebounds, five assists and three steals in 26 minutes of work.
With the league victory, the Falcons improved to 14-1 on the year and a perfect 9-0 in GNAC play. The loss moves the Mustangs to 5-11 overall and 1-8 in the league standings.
The Falcons opened tonight's contest with a 7-0 run then extended their lead to 9-2 thanks to two buckets a piece from Watson and Jefferson Lora (Bronx, N.Y.). After taking a 19-10 lead, an 18-10 run by Mount Ida put the Mustangs within one at 29-28.
After Mount Ida took a 35-33 lead with less than six minutes to go in the frame, Albertus bounced back with a 17-7 run to finish out the half, taking a 50-42 lead into the break.
The Falcons hit four-straight field goals to open the second half as they took a 13-point lead. Albertus extended its lead to as much as 21 points with 10:27 left in regulation after a three-point play by Zach Dugas (Monroe, Conn.). Dugas finished the game with 10 points in 14 minutes of work. Lora added 17 points and five rebounds for the Falcons.
The Falcons' 106 points marked the most scored by the squad all season as their 60.9% showing from the floor was also a season-best. Lemar Larsen (New Haven, Conn.) added 12 points and eight rebounds in the contest, while Julian Sanders (Trumbull, Conn.) came off the bench to tally 14 points.
Mount Ida scored 23 points on 15 Albertus turnovers, while the Falcons were held at just 2-of-11 from behind the arc.
Albertus remains unbeaten in regular-season GNAC play in its last 34 contests, dating back to the 2010-11 season. The Falcons' 34-game streak is currently the longest in the nation in Division III men's basketball. Buffalo State University and Becker College hold the all-time Division III men's basketball record at 37-straight regular-season conference wins.
The Falcons will host Emerson College on Saturday, Jan. 19 in a 3:00 p.m. GNAC contest. Saturday marks the first meeting of the season against the Lions.
