Mount Saint Vincent Spoils Men’s Basketball Senior Day at the Buzzer

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team rallied from an 11-point deficit to take a three-point lead with under a minute to go and seemed poised to close out the season with a victory, but the College of Mount Saint Vincent escaped with a 70-69 win on a three-pointer at the buzzer on Saturday afternoon at The Hill Center.

Freshman Stephane Etheart (Hollis Hills, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) led the Bears with 16 points and six boards and sophomore Joseph Idyahia (Glendale, N.Y./Christ the King) scored 12 points—all on three-pointers—to spark the comeback. Seniors Christian Giles (East Elmhurst, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) and Richard DiPuma (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) were honored prior to their final game in a Bears jersey.

The Basics

• Final Score: Mount Saint Vincent 70, St. Joseph's 69
• Records: Mount Saint Vincent (8-17, 6-10), St. Joseph's (4-21, 1-15)
• Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Arena: The Hill Center
• SJC Starters: Willis (G), Giles (G), DiPuma (G), St. Etheart (G), Meiner (F) 

Turning Point

• After regaining the lead with under a minute left, the Bears shot 1-of-2 on their final two trips to the line to leave the door open for the Dolphins' game-winning shot.

How it Happened

• A close first half of play saw the Dolphins on top for most of it, but the Bears keeping them within reach, never falling behind by more than six. Three-pointers from Richard DiPuma and Alec Willis helped spark a 10-3 run that put the Bears ahead 32-30, but the visitors took a 35-34 lead into the lockers.
• Mount Saint Vincent scored the first seven points of the second stanza to create some separation again but the Bears reeled them back in on a Joseph Idyahia triple and a pair of Sebastien Etheart free throws that tied the game at 46-all.
• The Dolphins seemed to take control for good with a 10-0 run to build the largest separation of the game at 11, 59-48, with 6:38 to play but the Bears were determined to close out the season on a high note.
• An Idyahia trifecta at 2:26 helped jump start the comeback as he drained two more from behind the arc in just over a minute to pull the Bears within one with just over a minute to play. After the Dolphins gave the ball back on an offensive foul, a Dimitri Sirakis three-pointer from the top of the arc put the Bears on top 67-65 with 47 ticks left.
• But the Bears shot 2-of-4 in the bonus to keep it a one-possession ball game and setting up the final shot as time expired.

For the Bears

• Freshman Stephane Etheart led the Bears for the second straight game with 16 points and six boards.
• Sophomore Joseph Idyahia tallied 12 points off the bench shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from behind the arc—all in the second half.
• Freshman Kavan Meiner had eight points and a team-high seven rebounds.
• Senior Christian Giles netted six points and handed out as many assists to direct the offense in his final game.
• Junior Alec Willis and freshman Sebastien Etheart both chipped in six points each and three rebounds.
• Senior Richard DiPuma scored three points with four rebounds, starting in his final game.

Inside the Box Score

• All 11 Bears to enter the game recorded a field goal.
• Both teams shot well from distance combining for 22 three-pointers (SJC 10, CMSV 12) at 42 percent.
• The Bears dished out 18 assists on 22 field goals and protected the ball well committing a season-low six turnovers.
• The Dolphins were led by Myron Hickman's 20-point, 10-rebound double-double and Andrew Curiel also finished with a double-double with 10 points and as many boards.