Cresson,PA- The Mount Aloysius Men's Basketball team showed little rust after having the holiday week off, defeating McDaniel College on Sunday afternoon by a score of 56-50.

The Mounties started off quick, using their stifling defense to get out to an early 16-2 lead. Nate Christian (Accokeek,MD/Surratsville/Hood) led the Mounties on the run, hitting two threes and a free throw, while Tommy Pisula (Scottdale, PA/Southmoreland) scored 6 tough points in the key, two of the baskets coming off of offensive rebounds. McDaniel fought back to cut the lead to 4, but the Mounties were able to regain momentum finishing the half with an 8 point lead. 

McDaniel came out of the half firing, going on a 7-0 run to erase the Mountie lead. After the run, the second half became a back and forth affair that saw 4 lead changes and no lead larger than 4. The Mounties play tightened up on defense again in the final minutes of the game, holding the Green Terror to only 3 points in the final 3:21 of the game. In that span, Junior Trent McErlane (Greenville, PA/Greenville) stepped up in a big way at the free throw line, hitting 8 in a row to clinch the victory for Mount Aloysius. 

Freshman Carlos Palacio (Bilbao, Spain/Phelps School) paced the Mounties with 14 points while shooting 50% from the field. Pisula finished with 10 points while grabbing 7 rebounds, including 5 on the offensive end. 

The Mounties (2-3) will begin AMCC play on Wednesday when they travel to Penn State Altoona. The game will take place at 8:00 PM, after the completion of the Women's game. A fan bus will be leaving Ihmsen Circle at 5:20 PM for fans looking cheer on the Mounties.