NEWBURGH, N.Y. – Sophomore
Carlos Valdez (Slate Hill, N.Y.) scored a career-high 30 points as Mount Saint Mary College rolled to a 90-71 Skyline Conference victory over NYU-Poly on Thursday evening. The Blue Knights reached double digit wins at 10-12 overall and improved to 9-8 within the Skyline, while the Blue Jays dropped to 4-18 overall (2-15 conference).
Mount Saint Mary built a comfortable lead with a 10-0 run near the midpoint of the first half. Freshman
Lenny Ragaglia (Staten Island, N.Y.) and junior
Chuck Magos (Port Jervis, N.Y.) knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to make the score, 31-20, with 9:55 remaining. The Blue Knights extended their lead to 15 at the half as sophomore
Kevin Milella (Floral Park, N.Y.) made back-to-back buckets before the horn.
NYU-Poly never threatened in the second half and trailed by as many as 30 when Mount Saint Mary senior
Nick Monaco (Newburgh, N.Y.) nailed a three-pointer with 2:15 remaining. The Blue Jays closed the game on a 13-2 run to make the final score, 90-71.
Valdez dominated the game for the Mount, shooting 11-of-14 from the floor and 8-of-9 from the free throw line to finish with a game-high 30 points. The sophomore also dished out 5 assists and grabbed 4 rebounds. Milella totaled 16 points and 7 boards, while Ragaglia finished with 15 points and 6 boards. Ragaglia did all of his damage from beyond the arc, connecting on 5-of-7 attempts.
NYU-Poly junior Anthony Mattola (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the Blue Jays with 27 points on 12-of-22 shooting. Freshman Myles Hinchcliffe (Flower Mound, Texas) pitched in with 18 points.
It was the best shooting night of the year for the Mount by far. The Blue Knights finished at 61-percent from the field, 83-percent from three, while connecting on 10-of-11 free throws. All three percentages were season-highs for the Mount.
Now tied for the sixth spot in the Skyline Conference, Mount Saint Mary can guarantee a Skyline Conference playoff berth with wins in their last three games. The Blue Knights kick off the final stretch on Saturday, February 13 when they’ll play host to SUNY College at Old Westbury. The game is scheduled for a 3:30 p.m. tip.