MEN'S BASKETBALL DROPS SECOND GNAC LOSS TO EMMANUEL, Junior newcomer Matt Bennett continues to provide offense

The Mount Ida College Men’s Basketball team dropped their second Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) bid at Emmanuel College this past Saturday losing 78-56. The Mustangs finish their three game road trip going 2-1 making their overall record 5-6 and 2-2 in the conference.

The Saints led wire-to-wire but Mount Ida would keep within striking distance the entire first half only down by seven. The Mustangs would hang around in the first 20 minutes getting as close as one with 10:11 left. But Emmanuel would not let Mount Ida gain the momentum, with both team’s exchanging baskets and the Saints maintaining the 35-28 advantage at the break. Freshman forward Thomas Belton (Springfield, MA/Springfield Central) led the attack for the Mustangs with 10 points and five boards in the first.

It was a whole different ballgame in the second with the Saints blowing the game open by 17 in the first four minutes. The Mustangs would try and hang on cutting the advantage to 11 twice, but that’s as close as they would get while Emmanuel would pile it on the rest of the game winning by 22 in the end. Mount Ida would shoot 37.5 percent from the floor and a tough 14 percent from three point land.

Junior forward Matt Bennett (Rochester, NH/St. Lawrence University) would continue to provide offense for his team netting 12 points with two rebounds. Belton would end the game with a team high 14 points, six rebounds, and one block and Sophomore point guard Darren Martinez (Stoughton, MA/Brookline) would have his second best game with 10 points and six boards.

The Mustangs will head home for an early match-up against GNAC competition Johnson & Wales University this Tuesday for a 5:00 p.m. tip-off.