Box Score

NEWBURGH, N.Y. - Behind 15 points and 11 rebounds from junior Rachel Perrone (Poughquag, N.Y.), Mount Saint Mary College defeated Ramapo College, 64-56, in the opening round of the ECAC Metro Region Tournament on Wednesday evening in the Kaplan Center.  The fourth-seeded Knights advance to play top-seeded Brooklyn College on Saturday.

Leading by three at the break, Mount Saint Mary pushed the lead to 11 in the opening minutes of the second half.  The Roadrunners closed to within six on a bucket at the 11:05 mark, bu the Knights were quick to answer.  Perrone drained a three-pointer on the ensuing possession, sparking a decisive 10-2 run for the Mount.  When a triple from sophomore Lauren Romao (Brick, N.J.) found the mark with 7:34 remaining, the Knights led, 51-37.

The Roadrunners clawed back to within five in the game's final minutes and a basket at the 1:12 mark made it, 56-51, Knights.  Senior Becky Metzger (Point Pleasant, N.J.) stepped to the line and drained a pair of free throws to keep Ramapo at an arm's length.  When the Roadrunners scored on the next trip down, sophomore Amanda Smith (Dayton, Ohio) hit a pair from the charity stripe to push it back to seven.  Romao also made a pair of free throws down the stretch and Smith's two makes with one second remaining made the final score, 64-56.

Perrone finished with 15 points on 7-of-14 from the field to go along with her 11 rebounds.  Romao connected three times from downtown and finished with a team-high 16 points.  Metzger reached double figures with 11 points, as did sophomore Natalie Candarelli (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) with 10 points.

Ramapo sophomore Kelly Haspel (Lincroft, N.J.) finished with a game-high 18 points on 7-of-12 from the field.  Junior Micaela Moore (Lindenwold, N.J.) added 13 points and a team-high eight boards.

Brooklyn College will host Mount Saint Mary College at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 2.