NEWBURGH, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College women's basketball team (8-13, 3-6 Skyline) was defeated by The Sage Colleges (15-5, 8-2 Skyline) by a score of 56-41 Friday evening at the Kaplan Center.
With the loss, the Knights are now tied with SUNY College at Old Westbury for the fourth-place spot in the Skyline Conference. The Knights and Panthers will do battle for that fourth-place position tomorrow, Feb. 14, at the Kaplan Center. Sage now hold a one-game lead over the College of Mount Saint Vincent for second place in the conference.
Neither team was able to gain an edge early on in the first half, as the score was tied on five separate occasions through the first seven minutes. An 8-0 run by the Gators gave them an 18-10 lead, which was later extended to 11 points at 25-14 on a three by Frankie Pearson with 3:34 left before the break. The Knights scored seven of the final nine points through the remainder of the first frame to go into the locker room down by a score of 27-21.
Though both teams traded baskets back-and-forth in the early portion of the second half, the Knights were never able to get within seven points. The Gators then went on a 12-1 run to take a 47-30 lead with 8:21 to play, putting the Knights out of reach. The home team got as close as 11 points down the stretch, but was unable to get back within single digits before the final buzzer.
Megan Bowman scored 10 points for the Gators, putting her over the 1,000-point milestone for her career. Pearson led Sage with 11 points, while Krystyn Knockwood came off the bench for nine points and seven boards.
Freshman forward
Bridget Kelly (Farmington, Conn.) just missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds. Freshman guard
Janae Graham (Orange, Conn.) scored seven points and grabbed five boards off the bench.
Sage shot 20-of-60 (33.3 percent) for the evening, while the Knights made 14-of-53 (26.4 percent) from the field. Both teams matched with 41 total rebounds. Sage held the takeaway advantage at 25-20, and turned it into a 21-6 edge in points off turnovers.
The Knights face off with Old Westbury in a crucial matchup for Skyline standing tomorrow, Feb. 14, at the Kaplan Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. It is also Senior Day for the Knights, and their four graduating players will be honored prior to tip-off.
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@MSMCKnights
