Greensburg, PA - The Mount Aloysius Men's Basketball team was able to fend off a late rally from AMCC foe Pitt-Greensburg to pick up a 78-73 victory on Wednesday night.

The Mounties shot off to a quick start as they were able to build a 7 point lead in just under 4 minutes of play on two baskets inside the paint from Imrane Amadou (Cotonou, Benin), a three from Nate Christian (Accokeek, MD/Surratsville/Hood) and two Josiah Jones (Gaithersburg, MD/Magruder) free throws.  The Mounties continued to build a lead throughout the first half as they scored from inside as well as beyond the three point line. Amadou finished off 5 baskets inside in the half on only 6 shots while Jones, 5, and Trent McErlane (Greenville, PA/Greenville) 2, combined for 7 threes in the first period of play. Jones finished the half with 17 points while Amadou had 10 and McErlane scored 8.

Nate Christian came out of the locker room attacking the basket as he scored the first 5 points of the half to put the Mounties up 20. He converted two free throws early and then followed those up with an old fashioned three point play on a fast break. The Bobcats slowly chipped away at the lead throughout the second half, however Christian was able to keep the Mounties afloat scoring 13 in the half. As Pitt-Greensburg cut the lead to 6 with under 30 seconds to go, McErlane hit 6 of 6 clutch free throws to keep the Mounties ahead and seal the victory.

Jones led the way for the Mounties, finishing with a season high 22 points. McErlane also set a season high with 20 points. He shot 5-8 from the field including 4-7 from long range. Christian continued his recent hot streak finishing with 19. He has averaged 18.3 points per game over a 3 game span.

The win moves the Mounties to 9-7 on the season with a 6-3 record in AMCC play. Halfway through their conference slate they sit in a tie for 3rd place. They will host 2nd place Penn State Behrend on Saturday beginning at 3:00 PM.