NEWBURGH, N.Y. – In a New Year's Eve matinee matchup at the Kaplan Center, the Mount Saint Mary College women's basketball team (3-6) picked up a 71-63 non-conference victory over Mount Ida College (3-8) to close out the 2014 calendar year with a bang.
A dominant first half laid the foundation for the Knights' victory Wednesday afternoon, as the home team claimed a 40-19 lead heading into halftime. Seniors
Natalie Candarelli (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) and
Lauren Romao (Brick, N.J.) each scored eight points to lead the Knights in the opening frame, while sophomore guard
Marisa Delzio (Brewster, N.Y.) helped out with four assists. The Knights shot 39.5 percent (15-of-38) in the first half and made 7-of-9 free throws.
Mount Ida closed the gap early in the second half, outscoring the Knights, 17-5, in the first seven minutes to cut the deficit to single digits. The Knights held tight and scored the next five points, sparked by a big three by freshman guard
Janae Graham (Orange, Conn.) to improve their lead to 50-36. After a pair of free throws for the Mustangs, a trey by Romao kicked off another five-point run to put the Knights up by 17 with 8:46 left to play.
The Mustangs, shooting much better in the second stanza, kept the game within reach by cutting the deficit to 11 points with the clock reading 4:47, but another long ball by Romao halted their run. Mount Ida began making its best run of the game in the final minute, outscoring the Knights, 7-1, but the home team held on for the eight-point victory.
Candarelli finished with a team-high 17 points and pulled down seven boards in the win. Romao tallied 16, while Graham also reached double-digits with 10 points. Freshman forward
Bridget Kelly (Farmington, Conn.) turned in a solid game with a team-high 10 rebounds, as well as eight points. Delzio finished the game with eight assists and a pair of steals.
Mount Ida's Angelique Martinez scored a game-high 19 points in just 15 minutes on the court after falling into early foul trouble. She also grabbed eight rebounds. Stephanie Champoux totaled 14 points, while Imani Bumpus pulled down a game-high 12 boards.
Mount Ida shot 53.1 percent (17-of-32) in the second half to finish with a game-high 37.9 shooting percentage (25-of-66) for the afternoon. The Knights made 32.9 percent (24-of-73) of their shots for the game. The Knights held a 49-44 advantage in rebounds, but the Mustangs outscored the Knights in the paint, 36-22. The Knights took advantage of 17 Mustang turnovers by turning them into 16 points.
After their New Year's Eve conquest, the Knights gear up for the start of their Skyline Conference schedule in their first matchup of 2015. They will host the College of Mount Saint Vincent at the Kaplan Center on Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2015. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.
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