Cresson, Pa. -- Mount Aloysius men's basketball earned the AMCC victory against the Carlow Celtics this Wednesday, January 3rd.
Although ahead for most of the game, the back-and-forth matchup would test the Mounties on both sides of the floor, with the visitors consistently within a possession or two of the lead. Junior guard
Will Hagwood (Willowick, Ohio, South) put together a fantastic all-court display, scoring 22 points and 9 rebounds, leading his team in both categories for the game. Hagwood rounded out his performance with 5 assists and 3 steals, all while committing just a single turnover across his 33 minutes of action.
Sophomore guard
Ronnie McClain (Canton, Ohio, McKinley) would energize the Mounties coming off the bench, scoring 11 points and hitting two threes to open up space for the Mounties to work inside. The Mounties would score 54 of their 81 points inside, while grabbing nine more rebounds than the Celtics for the game.
Carlow's all-court offense gave the Mounties some trouble throughout the game, but the Mountie defensive effort capitalized on shaky ball control. Using the press at varying points throughout the contest, Mount Aloysius would generate turnovers at opportune times to capture momentum and go on short runs. With the Celtics up by 1 five minutes into the second half, the Mountie defense would force three turnovers in two minutes, with junior forward
De'Von Haggans (Harrisburg, PA, Central Dauphin) hitting the transition dunk to put the Mounties up nine.
Continuing the trend of the game, Carlow would battle back, cutting the Mountie lead to one with two minutes left to play. Although Mount Aloysius played mainly through the paint, it would be a late three from senior guard
Julius Cummings (Cleveland, Ohio, Villa Angela Saint Joseph) that would seal the game, pushing the hosts out of reach for the Celtics. The Mounties would make their free throws to end the game in an 81-78 win.
Mount Aloysius men's basketball travels to New York to take on the Alfred State Pioneers this Saturday, January 6th. Alfred State enters the game 5-7 overall and 3-2 in conference, coming off an 85-93 loss to Penn State Altoona.
