GWYNEDD VALLEY, PA – Despite leading by as many as 16 points in the second half, the Cabrini men's basketball team dropped its Atlantic East Conference opener 71-69 at Gwynedd Mercy University.

The loss dropped the Cavaliers to 2-4 overall, while the Griffins improved to 4-3.

Senior Anthony Wright-Downing led the Blue and White with 25 points on 8-10 shooting from the field and nine rebounds. Sophomore DJ Smith added 15 points off the bench, while freshman Voshon Mack secured a team-high 10 rebounds.

Cabrini built an early lead in the first half, as it used a 16-2 spurt to establish a 25-12 lead with 8:25 to play in the first half.

The Cavaliers rolled to a 39-28 lead at the half on the strength of 48% shooting from the floor in the opening 20 minutes, including 7-13 from three point range. Defensively, the Blue and White defense held the Griffins to just 32.4% shooting.

Cabrini pushed its lead to 44-28 in the opening minutes of the second stanza after sophomore Billy Warren's old fashioned three point play.

The Griffins then made their comeback, beginning with a 14-2 run, slicing the Blue and White cushion to 46-42 with 13:13 to play.

Gwynedd Mercy continued to chp away at Cabrini's lead, tying the score at 53 and 55 before taking the lead on a fast break bucket at the 6:43 mark.

The Griffins led by as many as six points at the six minute mark, the Cavaliers responded with a 9-0 run to regain the lead at 64-61 on a Wright-Downing jumper with 3:34 to play.

The teams exchanged the lead over the final minutes of the game, but trailing by two, senior Mike Doyle was fouled after recording a steal. The senior calmly drained a pair of free throws to tie the score at 69 with 49 ticks on the clock.

Cabrini got the defensive stop it needed on the ensuing possession, but could not secure the rebound, giving the Griffins another possession with 34 seconds to play.

The defense once again seemed to be up to the task, but a Cabrini foul sent Gwynedd Mercy to the line with just five seconds to play. Courtney Cubbage connected on both free throw attempts to grab the winning margin.

The Cavaliers had one final possession, but a turnover ended the game.

After displaying an efficient offensive attack in the first half, the Cavaliers struggled in the second, shooting just 8-21 from the floor and committing 14 second half turnovers, leading to 24 Gwynedd Mercy points.

Rich Dunham led the Griffins with 31 points, while Cubbage scored 12 of his 14 points in the second half.

The Cavaliers will look to rebound Tuesday, when they visit Stevenson University (5-1). Tip is slated for 7pm in Owings Mills, MD.