MEN'S BASKETBALL DIMS BEACONS 86-60 IN FIRST ROUND

Sophomore guard Keith Jones (Boston, MA/Cathedral) came off the bench to score a game-high 28 points and lift Mount Ida College to an 86-60 victory over University of Massachusetts Boston Saturday evening at the Clark Athletic Center on the campus of UMass Boston. With the win, the Mustangs improve to 2-0 on the season while the Beacons fall to 1-3.

With 6:14 remaining in the first half, a layup by freshman guard Michael Mitchell Jr. (Boston, MA) pulled UMass Boston to within five, but it was the closest the Beacons would get for the remainder of the game. The Mustangs closed out the first half on a 15-6 run fueled by 10 points from Jones to head into the locker room with a 40-26 advantage.

Over the first five minutes of the second half, the Mustangs picked things up right where they left off, opening the stanza on a blistering 14-1 run to pull ahead 57-27. Jones also led the way during this spurt, netting 10 more of his 28 points during the action.

Senior guard Darren Martinez (Dorchester, MA/Brookline) was brilliant from the floor for Mount Ida, connecting on 87.5% of his shots from the floor (7-8) including a 1-1 showing from behind the arc for a 21 point outing. Sophomore forward Travis Hillery (Tyngsboro, MA/Central Catholic) chipped in with 12 points off the bench to go along with six rebounds in the winning effort.

For UMass Boston, Mitchell finished the game with 26 points on 9-16 shooting, to go along with five rebounds, four assists and a steal to pace the Beacons offensive efforts. Junior forward Pat Joseph (Queens, NY) recorded his first double-double of the 2009-10 campaign, grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds to go along with 12 points, three blocks, two steals and a dime.

Mount Ida will face off against Embry-Riddle University in the championship game at 3:00 p.m. at the Clark Athletic Center.