MOUNT IDA SINKS SAINTS AT BUZZER, 73-71

NEWTON, Mass. – For the second time in his Mount Ida College career, guard Joey DeFillippi (Bristol, Conn.) beat the clock from deep range to lead the Mustangs to a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball victory over Emmanuel College, 73-71. On Saturday afternoon at Mount Ida Athletic Center, DeFillippi's triple from far behind the arc as time expired gave the Mustangs the two-point win over the Saints to the delight of the home crowd.

Though not as deep as his three-quarter shot to break a tie and beat Suffolk a year ago, Saturday's three-pointer was more critical, as it edged Mount Ida past Emmanuel, who had erased a 15 point deficit and taken a 71-70 lead with 25 seconds left to play.

The sophomore guard's heroics also delivered an important conference win for Mount Ida (7-6), as they move to 3-3 in the GNAC, while sending Emmanuel (2-10) to 2-4 as the two teams battle for position in the conference table.

DeFillippi turned in a double-double performance with 20 points and ten rebounds to lead the Mustangs, who shot 45% from the field and 55% from behind the three-point line while also going 6-6 at the free-throw line in the second half.

Saints senior forward John Clay (Westport, Mass.) led all players with 21 points.

The Mustangs opened the second stanza with a 12-0 run to extend a three-point halftime lead to a 46-31 advantage. That run was capped by back-to-back triples by DeFillippi, who was 4-for-8 from deep range and 7-for-13 from the field for the game.

Jayson Clark (Austin, Texas), Kevin Conner (Mansfield, Mass.) and John Oliver (N. Babylon, N.Y.) all made layups during that run, helping Mount Ida's 34-28 edge in points in the paint. Clark led all players with six assists to go with 11 points and six rebounds, while Oliver also scored 11 points and had two helpers and two steals.

Mount Ida also had the advantage in second-chance points (23-11), helped by a 42-34 rebounding lead. During the opening run of the second half, they outhustled the Saints to several loose balls to create second and third scoring efforts.

Emmanuel came roaring back with the help of sophomore guard Colin Cordero (Bolton, Conn.), who had all 13 of his points in the second half, and junior forward Aidan Hadley (Owls Head, Maine), who scored eight of his ten points after the break.

After a three-pointer by Clark put Mount Ida up 57-45 halfway through the period, the Saints ripped off a 9-2 run to keep themselves in the game. A three-pointer and layup by freshman swingman Will Jessup (Westwood, Mass.) and two free throws by Cordero helped them tie the game at 70 as the game slipped under a minute, and Hadley would make the second of two foul shots to give Emmanuel their first lead of the half after the Mustangs turned the ball over with a chance to break the tie.

Mount Ida struggled to get the ball in out of the ensuing time-out, but eventually put it in the hands of DeFillippi with 4.1 seconds left. Despite an Emmanuel defender in his face, he rose up and fired from long range, and the ball swished through the twine just as the final horn sounded.

Junior Ethan Dujon (Warwick, R.I.) scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the victory for the Mustangs.

Hadley just missed a double-double for the Saints, grabbing nine boards to go with his ten points in 26 minutes of action, all season-highs. Jessup scored seven points on 3-4 shooting, while senior forward Rashad Dixon (Brockton, Mass.) had a pair of blocks off the Emmanuel bench.

These two teams will not have to wait long to renew their rivalry, as both team's next game will be the second half of a home and home with each other. That rematch will tip off on Wednesday, January 13^th at 7:00 PM in Boston, Mass at the Jean Yawkey Center Gymnasium.

*Release courtesy of Mount Ida College Sports Information Dept.