CRESSON, PA—The Mount Aloysius Mounties turned in a dominant performance on the boards and held the Houghton Highlanders to less than 40 percent shooting from the field, picking up their first win of the season, 86-72.
 
The Mounties scored the first 10 points of the game and forced the Highlanders to play catchup the rest of the way.
 
Houghton battled back, as they have every game this season, pulling to within a point with just under nine minutes to play in the first half, and went to the locker rooms down by five at the half. 
 
The second half brought much of the same, as Mount Aloysius surged ahead early, leading by as many as 17 points, before Houghton slowly clawed back into contention.
 
With five minutes to play, Aaron Johnson hit a layup that pulled Houghton within four points, and it looked like the Highlanders once again might pull off the inexplicable. 
 
But the Mounties would not be outdone on their home court, pulling away late and closing out the game on a 12-2 run to close out the win.
 
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 72 | Mt. Aloysius – 86
Records: Houghton: 1-3 | Mt. Aloysius: 1-3  
Venue: Athletic, Convocation and Wellness Center, Mount Aloysius College| Attendance: 177

NOTABLE STATS
>> The Mounties maintained a 53-29 advantage in rebounds, while the Highlanders gave the ball away a season-low eight times and force 15 Aloysius turnovers, 10 by steal.
 
>> Five Houghton players reached double-digit points: David Rosa (14), James Wang (14), Luke Cole (13), Preston Thomas (12) and Aaron Johnson (11).  Rosa and Brandon Taylor each dished out four assists apiece, while Thomas and Johnson picked up three steals apiece, and Wang blocked three shots.
 
>> Will Hagwood led all scorers with 25 points and added six assists for the Mounties.  Reggie Priah and De'Von Haggans each posted double-doubles, as well.
 
COACH'S CORNER
"Believe it or not, I thought we made some progress tonight in some key offensive areas and even defensively, but we could not close out possessions.

"Overcoming 21 offensive rebounds from your opponent is hard to do. That is a battle you win in the summer and pre-season in the weight room. Our commitment level there needs to ramp up. Obviously, having our strongest guy (Jajuan Preaster) still out affects that."
 
On 6-8 freshman James Wang: "James Wang is really coming alive for us. He's doing what we knew he could - make great decisions, protect the paint, and knock down shots. His performance in his first college start was impressive." -- Head Coach Jeremy Bialek

UP NEXT
The Highlanders travel to Geneseo tomorrow, where they will take on the SUNY Geneseo Knights at 4:00 p.m.