Newburgh, N.Y. – Mount Saint Mary College head coach Michael Coppolino will begin his third year on the bench on Saturday when the Knights open the 2015-16 season on the road at Alfred University. The contest is scheduled to tip-off at 4:00 p.m. with Live Stats and Video available for those who cannot attend the game.
 
At A Glance: Mount Saint Mary is coming off a 20141-15 season that it post a 9-17 record, a four win improvement from Coppolino's first season, and make a return trip to the Skyline Conference Tournament after missing the event in 2013-14.
 
The Knights lost their top three scorers from last season, including Second Team All-Skyline Conference selection Natalie Candarelli who led the team with 10.5 points per game in 2014-15.
 
The Mount returns sophomore Jessica Rini (Seaford, N.Y.) who was good for 8.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game, while leading the team with 14 blocked shots. Classmate Bridget Kelly (Farmington, Conn.) also returns after leading the team with 7.2 rebounds per game as a freshman.
 
Mount Saint Mary begins the 2015-16 without a junior or a senior on its roster, with its lineup featuring nine freshman and five sophomores.
 
Backcourt: Mount Saint Mary's roster features nine guards and a pair of players who can play in both the frontcourt and the backcourt. Sophomore Janae Graham (Orange, Conn.) started 19 games for the Knights as a freshman and averaged 3.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 1.1 assists per contest.
 
Brooke Dennin (Glenham, N.Y.) appeared in 21 games as a freshman a season ago and shot better than 81-percent from the free-throw line, with Kelly shooting 44.5-precent from the floor in her first collegiate season, averaging 5.7 points per game in 26 contests. Also returning is Taylor Calabrese (Levittown, N.Y.) who appeared in 23 games for the Knights and handed out 23 assists.

Coppolino will look for contributions from newcomers: Alicia Indence (Centereach, N.Y.), Daisha Madden (Baltimore, Md.), Megan Kerutis (Merrimack, N.H.), Taylor Krajewski (Vernon, Conn.) and Maite Gritsko (Milford, Conn.).
 
Frontcourt: Rini is the lone returning frontcourt player for Mount Saint Mary and is the top returning scorer for the Knights after posting just shy of nine points per outing as a freshman. Rini was named the Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week twice in 2014-15.
 
A talented group of freshmen will look to support Rini in the frontcourt, with the class including: Elizabeth Limonta (Stewart Manor, N.Y.), Kassidy Hallum (Lake Grove, N.Y.), Caitlyn Staab (Lynbrook, N.Y.) and Kayla Cleare (West Hempstead, N.Y.).
 
A Look At Alfred: The Saxons are coming off a 6-19 record in 2014-15 and a 2-14 mark in the Empire 8 Conference. Junior Amanda Off was one of two players to average in double-figures a season ago, pouring in 16.3 points per game on 42.9-percent shooting. Off also paced the Saxons in blocked shots, averaging just over one block per game. Sophomore McKaylee Croll led the team in assists as a freshman with 69 helpers and is the team's top returning threat from three-point range after knocking in 32 triples last season.
 
Upcoming Schedule: Saturday's game at Alfred is the first of a five straight road games to open the 2015-16 season for the Knights. The road swing continues with games at Hunter (11/17), Manhattanville (11/19) and two games at the Pepsi Tip-Off Tournament hosted by Susquehanna University (11/21-22) before Knights open the home schedule on November 24 against New Paltz.