Box Score Bronx, NY
(Feb. 24, 2015) – Shots were hard to come by in a low-scoring Skyline Conference Men's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinal Tuesday night at Peter Jay Sharp Center in Riverdale.
For the third-seeded College of Mount Saint Vincent, the Dolphins managed to perform better from the field, especially in the second half en route to a 61-45 final over No. 6 Purchase.
CMSV shot 34.5 percent in the opening stanza, while the visiting Panthers shot 25 percent in the first half. The Dolphins put together a better second half, posting a 60 percent clip. The Panthers shot 50 percent, but the early deficit, coupled with CMSV's much-improved shooting effort in the second half spelled victory for the hosts.
The Dolphins started strong in the opening 20 minutes, racing out to a 6-0 advantage and later taking a 12-3 lead. It was a cold shooting half for the Panthers, who never lead in the first period. CMSV would lead by as many as 16 and capped the first half up 26-13.
The hosts were paced by center Ammad Alkhulaidi, who tallied nine first-half points to go along with six rebounds.
Showing its mettle, Purchase closed the gap to 31-19 five minutes into the second half after regrouping at halftime.
In a tight defensive game, where shots weren't falling freely for either side, CMSV bumped up the lead to 35-19 at 12:24 and 41-21 behind a 3-pointer by Jesse Regina just inside of 11 minutes.
Backed by the home crowd, CMSV increased that lead to 55-32 at 6:16, capitalizing on the Panthers' missed opportunities.
The Dolphins (18-8) sealed the win over the final five minutes behind their top three offensive players. They had three finish in double figures (Alkhulaidi, 19 points; James Zuccaro, 14; and Mike Mulligan, 12).
Purchase (9-17) was led offensively by
Michael Pelham (SO/Spring Valley, NY), who finished with 10 points.
Taylor Foster (JR/Greenburgh, NY) added eight points and five rebounds off the bench in defeat.
Justin Person (SR/Greenburgh, NY) chipped in five points, nine boards and three steals.
The Dolphins advance to play No. 2 St. Joseph's College-LI Thursday night. Meanwhile, the loss ends Purchase's season. The Panthers had previously won back-to-back conference crowns, four of the last five league titles and appeared in the championship game for five straight seasons.
