Men’s Basketball has now opened up its 2025-26 campaign with two straight wins, most recently a 73-62 road victory over Mount St. Mary’s behind a team-high 15 points from Ruot Bijiek ’26.

The contest remained neck and neck for the majority of the first half, with neither squad holding a lead of more than four points through the first 14 minutes of the opening frame. Then, the Bison closed the half on a 17-9 run to take a 38-30 lead heading into the locker room.

Throughout the entirety of the second 20 minutes, the Mountaineers made continued attempts to get back into the contest, but the Bison’s solid defense kept them in front. The Orange and Blue responded to every run Mount St. Mary’s made, as they never trailed through the entire second half.

The Bison shot 43.1% from the field and 36.4% from three-point range. Despite tallying just seven assists on 25 made shots, it was the defensive intensity that kept the Orange and Blue in front for almost the entire game.

The Bison limited the Mountaineers to 39.2% shooting from the court and just 16% shooting from beyond the perimeter on 25 attempts. The Orange and Blue also forced 15 Mount St. Mary’s turnovers, compared to only four of their own, which led to 15 points for the Bison off those turnovers.

The Orange and Blue looked to get out and run and used the transition game to their advantage. Although the Bison let up 11 offensive rebounds to the Mountaineers, they took every chance they could to get out and run before the Mount St. Mary’s defense could get set.

Next up, the Bison return home to Sojka Pavilion to take on Hofstra on Friday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m.