NEWBURGH, N.Y. – Despite shooting just 25 percent (18-of-72) from the field on Wednesday, the Mount Saint Mary College women's basketball team (4-7) came out victorious in a non-conference matchup with SUNY Canton (0-9), coming away with a 57-54 decision at the Kaplan Center.
Senior guard
Lauren Romao (Brick, N.J.) played the hero late in the contest for the Knights, displaying resiliency after not having much luck for the majority of the game. With the Knights trailing, 53-50, with 2:35 to play, Romao drained a crucial three from the far corner to tie the game. She then came back down the court on the Knights' next possession, and sank a fall-away jumper from inside the paint to give the Knights a 55-53 lead. She then drew a foul after freshman forward
Bridget Kelly (Farmington, Conn.) stole the ball away from the Kangaroos, making a free throw to improve the Knight lead to three. In addition, she nailed a trey from the corner as the buzzer sounded before halftime to give the Knights a three-point lead heading into the locker room.
The Knights looked strong early in the first half, but were unable to gain a significant advantage in the opening frame. They led by as many as six points with 7:16 to play before halftime, but were outscored 9-3 before Romao made her buzzer-beater to send the Knights into the break with a 28-25 lead.
After taking a 39-34 advantage at the 13:10 mark in the second half, the Knights went on a four-minute scoring drought, allowing the Kangaroos to take a 43-39 lead. Canton held tight to its lead over the next seven minutes, but was unable to break away from the home team. Romao's tying long ball at the 2:35 mark finally broke the Knights even before they managed to take and hold the lead until the final buzzer.
Sophomore guard
Marisa Delzio (Brewster, N.Y.) led the Knights with 14 points on the afternoon, adding seven rebounds and a game-high five assists. Romao totaled 11 points on the evening, while leading the Mount with eight boards. Kelly added eight points and grabbed six rebounds, while leading the Knights with three steals.
CaseyLynn Fulton had an impressive game for Canton, scoring 15 points and grabbing 15 rebounds for a double-double. Taylor Saltus matched Fulton with 15 points and led the Roos with three assists.
Coming off a game in which they made 34-of-37 free throws, the Knights were good on just 58.3 percent (14-of-24) of their attempts from the charity stripe in Wednesday's win. The Kangaroos had an even tougher time at the free-throw line, making just 9-of-22 chances (40.9 percent) on the evening.
The Knights forced 27 Kangaroo turnovers in the win, and gave the ball away 19 times, leading to an 18-7 advantage in points off turnovers for the home team. They also took advantage of 22 offensive rebounds with 17 second-chance points.
Having won two of their last three games, the Knights head into a crucial matchup at Purchase College on Friday, Jan. 9, with some much needed momentum. Tip-off at Purchase is slated for 6 p.m.
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