Purchase, N.Y. – Freshman Kayla Cleare (West Hempstead, N.Y.) scored a career-high 18 points and matched her career-high with 15 rebounds and sophomore Jessica Rini (Seaford, N.Y.) added her team leading fifth double-double of the season as the Mount Saint Mary Women's Basketball team eased past Purchase on Friday by a score of 70-44.
 
Mount Saint Mary led from wire-to-wire on Friday and jumped out to an 11-0 lead following a Megan Kerutis (Merrimack, N.H.) three-pointer just under three minutes into the tilt. The Knights held the Panthers without a field goal for over four minutes to start the game on their way to taking a 16-9 lead into the second period.
 
Purchase pulled to within four points early in the second stanza, before Knights strung together a 19-4 stretch to close the first half and carry a 35-24 lead into halftime. Janae Graham (Orange, Conn.) gave the Mount a double-figure lead back with a bucket with 94 seconds left before halftime and a Cleare conversion with 16 seconds left in the quarter speared the lead out to 14 points.
 
Mount Saint Mary shot just shy of 42-percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes with Cleare heading into the break with 13 points and eight rebounds. The Knights held Purchase to 29-percent shooting and outrebounded Purchase before half 33-12, including 13-4 on the offensive end.
 
The Knights maintained a double-figure lead throughout the second half and jumped in front of Purchase by 17 points on a Bridget Kelly (Farmington, Conn.) bucket 2:31 into the third stanza.
 
The Mount did not allow Purchase closer than 11 points over the final two periods and gained its largest advantage of the game, a 28 point spread at 70-42, on a Brooke Dennin (Glenham, N.Y.) triple with 47 seconds left in the contest.
 
The Knights continued their efficient shooting after halftime, shooting 48.4-percent after the break. Rini went 5-for-7 from the floor over the final 20 minutes, scoring 12 second half points for the Knights.
 
Cleare and Rini each scored 18 points in the game, with the duo combining for 15 of the team's 28 made field goals. Cleare led all players in the game with 15 rebounds, including eight offensive boards, adding three assists in the game and three blocked shots.
 
Rini totaled 11 rebounds for the Knights, going 8-for-12 from the floor and adding two assists. Elizabeth Limonta (Stewart Manor, N.Y.) chipped in with seven points and seven rebounds, while Kerutis rounded out a solid all-around game with eight points, five rebounds and three assists.
 
Purchase, who shot 25.8-percent as a team, got 18 points from Elizabeth Osowiecki who added five rebounds and two assists.
 
Mount Saint Mary rounded out the game shooting 45.2-percent from the floor and outrebounded Purchase 60-31 in the game. The Knights turned 20 offensive rebounds in the game into a 19-9 edge in second chance scoring.
 
Friday's win pushes Mount Saint Mary to 7-10 overall on the season and to 5-5 in Skyline Conference play. The Knights will host St. Joseph's-Brooklyn on Tuesday night, with tip-off with the Lady Bears set for 6:00 p.m.

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