Lexington, Ky. – The Transylvania men's basketball team muscled its way past the Mount St. Joseph University Lions, 79-69 on Wednesday evening at the Beck Center.
Matthew Teague set a career-high for points in a half with 11 in the first half to kickstart the Pioneers towards a dominant showing in the paint to finish the night with 14.
Transylvania improved to 12-8 overall and 7-6 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference play by winning its fourth game over its last five. Mount St. Joseph dropped to 9-12 overall and 5-9 in the HCAC.
Hunter Penn led the Pioneers with 15 points on 6 for 9 shooting, fueling a 54 percent field goal shooting night by the Pioneers.
Mount St. Joseph found good looks while the Pioneers came up short on theirs to start the night as the Lions used three triples to craft a 9-0 lead at the 16:39 mark. Aiden Pashley hit one of his three corresponding threeballs in the first half to ignite a 22-8 run over the following seven minutes as the Pioneers forged a 22-17 advantage.
Jack Patton and Zach Larimore sank a pair of three-pointers to spot the Pioneers an eight-point lead to continue the Pioneers' sizzling first half. Jaylan Green spun his way to a bucket and Pashley concluded the half with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer to hand the Pioneers a 43-27 lead at the break.
The lead ballooned for Transy up to 22 early in the second half before the Lions spent the rest of the evening carving away at the deficit. Mount St. Joseph trimmed Transy's lead to 12 with seven minutes left in regulation but Penn, Green, and Larimore all provided timely buckets down the stretch to seal the win.
Transylvania showed its fangs in the paint where it outscored Mount St. Joseph 46 to 24 on the night. The Pioneers received balanced efforts across the roster as six different players scored seven points or more. Transylvania outscored Mount St. Joseph in bench points, 39 to 13.
The Pioneers are back at home on Saturday to host the Anderson University Ravens in the tail end of a doubleheader. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. from the Beck Center.
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