SCHENECTADY, N.Y. – Senior Brian Noone led all players with 19 points to go with seven rebounds and five assists as the Union College men's basketball team advanced to the championship game of the 2021 Sig Makofski Invitational with a 66-59 victory over the College of Mount St. Vincent on Saturday afternoon at Viniar Athletic Center.
 
Union (2-1) will face Hamilton College, 71-48 winners over Morrisville State College in Saturday's first game, in tomorrow's title tilt at 4 p.m. Mount St. Vincent and Morrisville State will battle in the consolation game at 2 p.m.
 
Noone had an excellent all-around effort for the Dutchmen, hitting 6-of-10 shots from the field and adding three steals as well. Classmate Mike Manley and junior Mike Caporale also reached double figures with 13 and 10 points, respectively, while senior Temi George added eight points and a team-best eight rebounds as well.
 
The Dutchmen came out hot on a cold November Saturday, holding CMSV off the scoreboard for more than five minutes in taking a 12-0 lead. Noone and Manley combined for 10 of the team's 12 points to take the early lead, which eventually ballooned to 18 at 25-7 following a Noone three-point play with exactly 10:00 remaining.
 
Mount St. Vincent clawed back to within single digits, but Union still held a 36-29 lead at the half. The home team shot just 39.4 percent (13 of 33) from the field in the half, but posted a 12-3 edge in fast-break points and hit 5-of-11 shots from long range to take and maintain its lead.
 
After the Dolphins scored the first bucket of the second half, Union went on a 9-2 run – capped by a Caporale layup – to take a 45-33 lead with 15:15 on the clock. The lead grew to as many as 16 points in the second half following a three-pointer and jumper by senior Chris Lovisolo that made the score 53-37 with 9:41 left. The visitors never got closer than eight points until the final buzzer, as six points in the final 10 seconds shrunk the deficit for the Dolphins.
 
Union finished the game shooting 40.7 percent (24 of 59) from the field, while Mount St. Vincent cooled off after a solid first half to finish the day at 40.4 percent (23 of 57).