Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Women's Basketball team won consecutive games for the first time this season and came away with a victory for the third time in the last four outings following a convincing 81-53 home win over St. Joseph's-Brooklyn on Tuesday evening. A trio of Dolphins posted career-highs in scoring, including freshman Kayla Cleare (West Hempstead, N.Y.) who posted 25 points.
 
The Mount got off to a fast start on Tuesday, scoring the first 10 points of the game to open an early double-figure advantage. The Knights held St. Joseph's off the board until the 5:32 mark of the opening stanza and did not let the Lady Bears closer than five points in the first 10 minutes of the game.
 
The Knights regained a double-figure advantage on a Jessica Rini (Seaford, N.Y.) conversion midway through the second period and jumped in front 31-17 on a pair of Janae Graham (Orange, Conn.) free-throws with 4:30 left before halftime.
 
The Mount outscored St. Joseph's 12-0 in the paint in the second stanza and outscored the Lady Bears by three points overall in the second quarter to carry a 38-28 lead into the intermission. Cleare led the Knights with nine points before the break with the team shooting 40-percent from the floor.
 
The Mount Saint Mary defense held the visitors to 29-percent shooting over the first two periods and finished the half with a commanding 24-6 edge in paint points. Destiny Marino led all players with 10 points at the break for St. Joseph's.
 
The Knights dominated the second half on Tuesday and did not allow St. Joseph's closer than 11 points over the final 20 minutes. The Mount shot an efficient 58.1-percent from the floor over the last two quarters and opened its largest lead of the game, a 29 point bulge, on a Cleare conversion with just under five minutes left in the tilt.
 
Cleare recorded a double-double in the second half alone, posting 16 points on 7-for-11 shooting and 10 rebounds in final 20 minutes. Sophomore Bridget Kelly (Farmington, Conn.) also had a strong second stanza, netting 13 points after going a perfect 4-for-4 from the floor and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.
 
Cleare reached double-figures for the second straight game and scored better than 20 points in a contest for the first time in her career after going 11-for-19 from the floor. She completed her fifth double-double of the season with 12 rebounds, adding a pair of blocks and two steals.
 
Kelly also rounded out the evening with a career-high in scoring, pouring in 16 points on a 4-for-5 effort from the floor and an 8-for-9 showing from the free-throw line. She chipped in seven rebounds and matched her career-high with four assists.
 
Freshman Elizabeth Limonta (Stewart Manor, N.Y.) scored in double-figures for the first time in her career on Tuesday, going 5-for-6 from the floor on her way to a career-best 10 points. She rounded out her first career double-double with 10 rebounds and added three assists.
 
The Mount Saint Mary defense held St. Joseph's to 25.4-percent shooting in the game and the Knights dominated both paint scoring and second chance points. The Mount outscored the Lady Bears inside 54-12 and turned 16 offensive rebounds into a 195 edge in second chance scoring.
 
The Knights shot a season-best 48.5-percent from the floor on Tuesday and showed 10 players with at least one field goal. The Mount finished up 2-for-10 from three-point range and 15-for-24 from the free-throw line.
 
Tuesday's win pushes Mount Saint Mary to 8-10 overall on the season and to 6-5 against Skyline Conference opponents. Next up for the Knights is a trip to Yeshiva on Sunday evening. The game at Baruch will tip-off at 6:00 p.m.

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