NEWBURGH, N.Y. – Despite carrying a lead deep into the second half of the championship game against Emmanuel College, the Mount Saint Mary College women's basketball team came up a little short on Sunday, falling to the Saints, 59-53. On Saturday, the Blue Knights blew out the University of California Santa Cruz, 72-44, in the opening round of the invitational.

Following a 9-0 run that gave Emmanuel a 53-49 lead with a little more than four minutes to play, the Blue Knights rallied to tie the game at 53. Senior Shannon Sangster (Syracuse, N.Y.) hit a pair of free throws at the 3:28 mark and then senior Catie Biordi (Beacon, N.Y.) banked in a layup with 1:46 to play.

Unfortunately, the Biordi basket would be the last of the game for the Blue Knights. Emmanuel freshman Fiona O'Dwyer (Stamford, Conn.) nailed a pair of free throws at the 1:29 mark to give the Saints the lead. After a turnover and a missed three-pointer on the next two Mount possessions, Emmanuel junior Kristin LeBel (Tolland, Conn.) swished home two more free throws to make it a four point game. Another missed three-pointer followed, and LeBel closed out the game with two more attempts from the line, making the final score, 59-53.

Sangster finished with a team-high 15 points to goal along with 7 rebounds. Freshman Kate Hartnett (Floral Park, N.Y.) was the next high scorer for the Blue Knights with 9 points. Senior Jess Tice (Altamont, N.Y.) totaled 5 points and tied for a game-high with 9 boards.

LeBel, the tournament's most valuable player, led all scorers with 24 points. She shot just 5-for-18 from the field but was a perfect 11-for-11 from the foul line. Senior Iman Davis (Toms River, N.J.) finished with 11 points and 8 rebounds.

Mount Saint Mary closed the first half with a 9-3 run to seize a four point advantage at the half (31-27). After allowing the Saints to tie the game early in the second half, senior Chrissy Zrowka (Brick, N.J.) drilled a three-pointer to cap an 8-0 run and give the Blue Knights their biggest lead of the game (42-34).
On Saturday against Santa Cruz, the Blue Knights closed the first half on a 30-6 run and never looked back. They led by as many as 36 in the final twenty minutes before settling in for the 72-44 victory.

Freshman Becky Metzger (Point Pleasant, N.J.) led the Blue Knights with 11 points and 9 rebounds, despite playing just 20 minutes. Sophomore Natalie Garbie (Bayville, N.J.) chipped in with 8 points and 8 boards. Biordi, Tice, Zrowka, and sophomore Rachel Russo (Trumbull, Conn.) each totaled 8 points as well.

Mount Saint Mary held the Banana Slugs to just 22.8-percent shooting. The Blue Knights also held a 54-33 advantage on the glass.

For their efforts during the tournament, Sangster and Hartnett were named to the all-tournament team for the Mount.

The Blue Knights will be able to rest through the Thanksgiving break in preparation for their Skyline Conference opener. Mount Saint Mary will host Purchase College on Tuesday, December 1 in the Kaplan Center at 7:00 p.m.