NEWBURGH, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College women's basketball team (3-7, 0-1 Skyline) dropped its Skyline Conference opener to the College of Mount Saint Vincent (9-2, 1-0 Skyline) by a score of 93-75 Tuesday evening at the Kaplan Center.
The Knights played close with the first-place Dolphins through the first half, but the visitors turned up the heat in the second frame to pick up the 18-point victory. The Dolphins held a 43-37 edge at the break, but the Knights managed to stay tight and were within two with 15:26 remaining, but the Dolphins pushed their lead out to double-digits in the next two minutes and never looked back. The Dolphin lead reached as many as 22 points late in the final period.
In a game that saw a ridiculous 53 personal fouls, both teams were impressive from the free-throw line. The Knights made 35-of-38 (92.1 percent) free throws, beating their previous season-high of 82.4 percent from back on Nov. 21 against Manhattanville College. The Dolphins did not squander their opportunities either, succeeding on 17-of-19 (89.5 percent) of their attempts from the charity stripe.
Christina Barone nearly hit a triple-double for the Dolphins, scoring 18 points, dishing out 10 assists and grabbing seven rebounds. Four other Mount Saint Vincent players reached double-digits on Tuesday, including Brittany Carroll who scored 15 and handed out five assists.
Senior guard
Lauren Romao (Brick, N.J.) turned in 17 points, helped by 3-of-3 shooting from three-point range. Senior forward
Natalie Candarelli (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) made 6-of-6 free throws en route to a 16-point effort, and sophomore guard
Marisa Delzio (Brewster, N.Y.) reached double-digits with 10 points, adding five boards and three assists. Freshman forward
Jessica Rini (Seaford, N.Y.) provided a spark off the bench, scoring 13 points, including 9-of-10 shooting from the free-throw line, and grabbing a team-high seven rebounds in just 13 minutes on the court.
Mount Saint Vincent shot 47.2 percent (34-of-72) from the field on Tuesday, while the Knights were good on 18-of-54 (33.3 percent) field goals. The Dolphins took advantage of the Knights' mistakes, scoring 31 points off turnovers. They also pounded the Knights in the paint with a scoring differential of 36-16 from in close.
The Knights get back to work quickly, as they host SUNY Canton in a non-conference matchup tomorrow, Jan. 7. Tip-off from the Kaplan Center is set for 5 p.m.
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