Aurora, N.Y. -- Mount Aloysius men's basketball suffered a conference defeat this Monday, January 15th, to the Wells College Express. 

The Mountie defense would suffer as the game went on, opening up for a high scoring second half despite a grinding first. Junior forward De'Von Haggans (Harrisburg, PA, Central Dauphin) would lead the Mounties in scoring, dropping 16 points with 7 rebounds, but foul trouble would limit him to just 20 minutes of game time. Senior Rafael Ibáñez Medina (Mexico City, Mexico, Canarias Basketball Academy) would provide the Mounties crucial spacing, going 5-9 from behind the arc as the only player on his team to hit multiple threes in the game. 

The low scoring first half was even throughout, with both teams struggling to put together a string of positive possessions. The offensive woes were apparent as both teams sat just above 30% shooting from the floor across the opening twenty minutes. Despite the lid on the basket, junior guard Will Hagwood (Willowick, Ohio, South) fought to make his impact felt everywhere else on the court, leading his team in three categories with 7 assists, 13 rebounds, and 4 steals. Hagwood's effort would help the Mounties maintain a sizable rebounding advantage over the Express, as his team would finish the game with 14 more boards than their hosts. 

Wells would find an offensive rhythm early in the second, taking a lead after ninety seconds in the second and maintaining it until the end of the game. The Mountie defense would struggle throughout the closing twenty minutes as the Express would maintain 53% shooting from the floor and 46% from three across the half. The hosts would also generate almost twice as many points off turnovers as Mount Aloysius, finding the open man to maintain a positive assist to turnover ratio as a team. A late surge by the Mounties would make the contest a one-possession game, but Wells executed down the stretch to earn the 78-71 win. 

Mount Aloysius men's basketball travels to Pitt-Greensburg this Wednesday, January 17th to take on the Bobcats in another AMCC matchup. Pitt-Greensburg enters the contest 6-9 overall and 5-3 in conference, coming off a 71-70 win against Pitt-Bradford.