MUSTANGS STUN TOP RANKED FALCONS 65-62 IN FINAL TICKS

With 1.6 seconds remaining in the contest with the score tied 62-62, Mount Ida College men's basketball senior Darren Martinez (Dorchester, MA/Brookline) collected a pinpointed pass from sophomore Keith Jones (Boston, MA/Cathedral) laying-in the go ahead hoop while getting fouled in the process.  After Martinez sunk the free throw to complete the three point play giving the Mustangs a three digit lead, visiting Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) number one seeded Albertus Magnus College launched an unsuccessful desperation three pointer at the buzzer ultimately falling 65-62 in a wild finish Tuesday night in Newton, Massachusetts.  This was a huge turning point for the Mustangs who snap a three game conference losing streak improving to 14-8 overall, 9-6 in league play while the visitors, who remain in first place in the GNAC standings, drop only their second loss in conference competition this year at 13-2 and fall to 17-5 overall. 

It was a back-and-forth game in the beginning of the first half with three lead changes in the opening 8:47 of the contest with the visitors hanging on to a small five point edge up 22-17.  The Mustangs turned up the heat on the Falcons for the next six minutes overtaking the advantage with 6:23 to go before the break up 24-23 after a successful tricecta by Martinez.

Mount Ida continued to pressure the visitors with a solid 2-3 zone and strong inside presence against a much larger Falcons squad.  The Mustangs powered a 7-0 run capped off by a Martinez jumper (34-27) at the 1:46 mark leading by eight.  The hosts eventually went into the break with a seven point advantage (37-30) and most of the momentum on their side after an outstanding display of basketball against a very polished and well coached Albertus Magnus team.

Mustang sophomore captain Travis Hillery (Tyngsboro, MA/Central Catholic) was nothing short of brilliant in the first half with a near double-double a the midway point at with 10 points and nine caroms.  He was extremely physical against Falcon freshman Jefferson Lora (Bronx, NY/Lyman Hall) who is much bigger and taller (six inches) than Hillery.  Sophomore captain Joe Cabral (Walpole, MA/Walpole) was also an integral part to the physical inside presence Mount Ida held down the entire game.

Albertus Magnus standout sophomore Raymond Askew (New Haven, CT/Career) was shut down in the first half by Mount Ida with only six points and four rebounds.  Askew is the second highest scorer in the GNAC this season averaging 21.9 points a game.   

The visitors came out hot powering a strong 10-4 run to start the second half knotting the score at 41-41 at the 15:38 mark capped off on a Walden St. Juste (Hartford, CT/Bulkeley) three pointer. 

The Mustangs did not led off the gas hammering out a 10-2 run to regain the 51-46 seven point advantage after a good lay-in by freshman John Figueroa (Hartford, CT/Howell Cheney Tech.) with 11:20 to go in the contest.

The Mount Ida lead didn't last long with the visitors jumping ahead by a point (52-51) for their first advantage since the 8:12 mark in the first half after a successful lay-in by Lora.  The Falcons maintained their lead for the next two minutes up by a deuce (54-52) with 6:55 to go in the contest.

The score tied three times in the next three minutes up until the Mustangs jolted ahead with four consecutive points by Jones giving the hosts a 62-58 lead with a minute and a half left in the game.   The Falcons never let up scoring four straight points of their own, all from Askew, tying the game with 30 seconds remaining.

With the shot clock shut off, Mount Ida held the ball for the next 28 seconds in their half of the court hanging on for the final shot of the contest.  The ball was distributed around the perimeter into the hands of Mount Ida's Jones who found an opening and fired a bullet to a wide open Martinez underneath the hoop.  Martinez quickly laid-in the go ahead basket and was fouled by Falcon sophomore Byron Reaves (Hamden, CT/Hamden) in the process. 

Martinez eventually completed the three point play with 1.6 seconds to go in the game.  Askew threw a full court pass to the hands of Lora who launched a desperation three pointer that was air balled at the buzzer.  Mount Ida captured their biggest victory of the season in front of a packed house against a very tough opponent winning 65-62 in dramatic fashion.

The Mustangs were led by Martinez with 17 points and six assists while Hillery enjoyed a solid double-double performance with 13 points and a season high 16 caroms.  Jones, who had a tough night shooting from behind the arc (1-8), did all the little things right scoring 11 points and chipping in five assists, including the biggest dish of the game.   Cabral added eight points and seven rebounds and continues to play well down low.

The Falcons saw four players in double figures led by St. Juste with 16 points and six boards.  Askew and Lora added 13 points apiece with Lora notching a double-double with 13 caroms and  Reaves added 11 points and seven caroms.

The Mustangs will travel to Suffolk University this coming Saturday for another GNAC match-up with tip-off coming at 2:00 p.m. in Boston, Massachusetts.