NEWBURGH, N.Y. – After multiple close comeback attempts, an early deficit proved to be too much to overcome, as the Mount Saint Mary College women's basketball team (5-8, 1-2 Skyline) dropped a Skyline Conference matchup to St. Joseph's College (L.I.) (4-9, 2-1 Skyline), 64-57, Sunday afternoon at the Kaplan Center.
The Knights had trouble finding the bottom of the net in the early minutes of the game, falling behind 11-0 before finally making a free throw to get on the board. The Golden Eagles led by as many as 12 points before the Knights started to find a normal rhythm. The Knights got as close as one point after freshman forward
Jessica Rini (Seaford, N.Y.) made a jumper with just over a minute remaining in the first half. A pair of free throws by St. Joe's Andrea Iavarone put the Golden Eagles up by three before the break.
The Knights hung tight with their guests for a while, but an 8-0 run that put the Golden Eagles up, 45-34, appeared to be the nail in the coffin for the home team. However, the Knights turned the momentum around, and cut the deficit to five at 49-44 with 7:28 remaining.
A pair of free throws by freshman forward
Bridget Kelly (Farmington, Conn.) with 1:08 left to go got the Knights within three points of the Golden Eagles. However, the Knights were unable to convert on their next four possessions, while the Golden Eagles made four free throws to hold on for the seven-point win.
Jackie Zizzo led the Golden Eagles with 18 points, while Iavarone picked up a double-double with 13 points and 12 boards. Rynese Smith and Meaghan Haber both reached double-digits with 11 and 10 points, respectively.
The Knights got a pair of double-doubles from a pair of freshmen on Sunday. Rini came off the bench to score 13 points and grab 13 rebounds, while Kelly added 11 points and 13 boards of her own. Senior forward
Natalie Candarelli (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) led the Knights with 18 points, while sophomore guard
Marisa Delzio (Brewster, N.Y.) dished out a game-high five assists.
The Knights dominated the boards with 54 rebounds, while the Golden Eagles grabbed just 37. However, the Knights could not take much advantage of a 22-12 offensive-rebound advantage, only scoring 16 second-chance points, while St. Joseph's scored 14.
The Knights will next play on Wednesday, Jan. 21, when they travel to New Haven, Conn. to face off with Albertus Magnus College. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Follow the Knights on Twitter at
@MSMCKnights
