NEWBURGH, N.Y. – In a battle for fourth place in the Skyline Conference, the Mount Saint Mary College women's basketball team (9-13, 4-6 Skyline) came out victorious over SUNY College at Old Westbury (10-13, 3-7 Skyline) Saturday afternoon at the Kaplan Center by a score of 64-60 after the Knights rallied back in the final minutes.
The Panthers took a 59-58 lead after Clarissa Gallagher hit a pair of free throws with 2:07 left in regulation. Senior forward
Natalie Candarelli (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) came up big with an offensive rebound, followed by a layup to put the Knights up, 60-59, with just 1:19 to go. Nikki Alexander was then sent to the line for Old Westbury, where she only hit the first of two chances to tie the game.
On the Knights' next possession, freshman forward
Jessica Rini (Seaford, N.Y.) sank a layup off a feed from senior guard
Lauren Romao (Brick, N.J.) to give the Knights a two-point advantage at 62-60 with 41 seconds remaining. The Knights held the Panthers off the board on their next trip down the court, and Rini was then fouled, and made one-of-two chances to give the Knights a three-point lead. Old Westbury got two chances to tie on the next play, but missed a three and a two before the Knights got the ball back. Sophomore guard
Marisa Delzio (Brewster, N.Y.) made the second of two free-throw opportunities after being fouled, putting the game out of reach.
The Knights took advantage of 11 first-half turnovers by the Panthers to take a 34-24 lead at the half. Junior guard
Nicole Scicutella (Massapequa, N.Y.), freshman
Janae Graham (Orange, Conn.) and Rini shared the team lead with six points apiece in the opening frame. Rini also had five rebounds in the first 20 minutes.
A 13-3 run during a seven-minute stretch saw the Panthers tie the game at 48-48 with 6:12 on the clock. Gallagher tied the game with a layup, but was also fouled, allowing her to give the Panthers their first lead at 49-48. The Knights took the lead back on a free throw by Rini and two more by Graham, but it was soon tied once again at 51-51 after Jasmine Robinson made a pair of her own.
The Panthers took a three-point lead on two separate occasions over the next few minutes, but after the Panthers led 57-54, Scicutella drained a big three from the corner to tie the game again at 57 all. The Knights took a 58-57 lead on a free throw by Romao, but Gallagher was later fouled and put the Panthers up 59-58. That was the last time they led, as the Knights rallied in the final two minutes for the win.
Rini picked up a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds on Saturday to lead the Knights. Scicutella matched her with 12 points and added seven boards. Graham and Candarelli each followed with 10 points apiece, and Delzio led all players with seven assists.
Alexander led all scorers with 19 points and matched Rini with 11 boards for a double-double. Raven Pentz fell just short of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds, while Robinson contributed 13 points.
The Knights took advantage of 20 offensive rebounds with 22 second-chance points. They shot just 28.2 percent (20-of-71) from the field on Saturday, while Old Westbury made just 28 percent (21-of-75) of their shots. The Knights held a slight 55-52 advantage in rebounding on the afternoon.
The Knights celebrated Senior Day prior to tip-off on Saturday. Seniors
Natalie Candarelli,
Lauren Romao,
Audrey Pooley (Middletown, N.Y.) and junior
Nicole Scicutella, who will be graduating early, were all honored for their contributions to the Mount Saint Mary women's basketball program throughout their tenures at the Mount.
With control of their own destiny now in their hands, the Knights have just two Skyline matchups remaining, needing to win just one to clinch a spot in the Skyline Conference Championship tournament. They can also get in with one more loss by each of Old Westbury and St. Joseph's College (L.I.). The Knights have the first of their final two Skyline games on Tuesday, Feb. 17, when they travel to Troy, N.Y. for a matchup with second-place Sage Colleges. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Follow the Knights on Twitter at
@MSMCKnights
