Newton, Mass. – The Albertus Magnus College men's basketball team erased a seven-point halftime deficit en route to a 96-91 victory against Mount Ida on Tuesday evening in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action at the MIC Athletic Center.
The Falcons shot 55 percent from the field in the second half to earn their thrid straight GNAC win and improve to 17-5 overall and 13-4 in conference play, while the host Mustangs dropped their third consecutive contest to fall to 11-13 on the year and 7-10 in league tilts.
Freshman forward Shontaey Lovell (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and senior Marc Wilson (Jersey City, N.J.) paced the Falcon attack, combining for 46 points and shooting 77 percent (20-of-26) from the field. Lovell recorded his conference-leading 14th double-double, courtesy of a 24-point, 16-rebound performance. On the defensive end, he also added four blocks and one steal. Wilson poured in 22 points on 10-of-13 shooting in 34 minutes of action.
Trailing by seven four minutes into the second half, Albertus Magnus reeled off 10 of the next 13 points capped by a pair of free throws by sophomore Erick Langston (Stratford, Conn.) to knot the game at 54 all with.
AMC and Mount Ida would trade buckets over the next several minutes. The guests would take a three-point edge at 73-70 following two free throws from freshman point guard Ryan Pittman (Stratford, Conn.). The Mustangs would answer to tie the contest at 73 after three free throws from Ethan Dujon. Albertus would answer again with an 8-1 spurt to pull away and hold an 81-74 advantage with four and a half minutes left.
Down the stretch, Albertus Magnus knocked down its shots from the charity stripe to escape with the victory. The Falcons scored their final eight points from the free-throw line during the final 56 seconds of regulation.
The back-and-forth contest saw 10 ties and 12 lead changes. The largest lead for Albertus was 10 during the first half and the biggest advantage for the Mustangs came early in the second frame.
Albertus Magnus closes out the regular season on Saturday, February 20, with a home conference clash against Emmanuel at 3:00 pm. Prior to the contest, the Falcons will honor the two members of the Class of 2016 for their contributions to the program.
For the latest information on the men's basketball team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.
