Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Women's Basketball team will open the new year with a pair of challenging conference clashes when it heads to the College of Mount Saint Vincent on Wednesday afternoon and welcomes Farmingdale State to the Kaplan Center on Saturday. Live Stats will be available for both contests for those who cannot attend.
 
At A Glance: Mount Saint Mary begins 2017 at 8-2 overall and 4-0 in conference play. The Knights split a pair of games at the Daytona Beach Shootout, topping Cabrini in overtime, before falling to Babson to  close out the tournament. The Knights' last conference game came on December 11 when they downed Yeshiva in Newburgh by a score of 57-36.
 
Mount Saint Mary features a trio of players scoring in double-figures through the season's first 10 games, led by 12.0 points per night from Kayla Cleare (West Hempstead, N.Y.). Cleare is shooting 48.4-percent from the floor on the season and is leading the Mount in rebounding with 11.0 caroms per contest.
 
Junior Jessica Rini (Seaford, N.Y.) is good for 10.7 points per game and is coming off two double-doubles in Florida. She is hauling in just shy of nine rebounds per game and is converting at a team-best 48.6-percent from the floor.
 
Sophomore Megan Kerutis (Merrimack, N.H.) is scoring 10.4 points per game and leads the team with 28 assists, while Bridget Kelly (Farmington, Conn.) is chipping in with 9.3 points and 5.1 rebounds per game to go along with 13 steals on the season.
 
As a team, Mount Saint Mary is scoring 62.1 points per game and is outscoring its opponents by nearly 16 points per game. The Knights hold opponents to a 29.8-percent field goal percentage and outrebound foes by 12 caroms per game. Heading into Wednesday's contest, the Mount ranks second in the Skyline Conference in scoring defense and field goal percentage defense and sits third in the league in rebounding margin.
 
A Look At The Dolphins: Mount Saint Vincent enters a Tuesday contest with Hunter at 6-5 overall and is coming off a convincing 98-71 non-conference win against Baruch to close out 2016. Five players scored in double-figures led by 25 points from Brittany Carroll and 22 points from Dez Brown. Christina Barone closed out the win with 13 points and 13 assists for the Dolphins.
 
Heading into Tuesday's clash with the Hawks, Barone paces the Dolphins in scoring at 13.6 points per game and is good for better than five assists per game. Carroll is averaging 13.0 points per game and is tied with Barone for the team lead in three-point field goals with 24. Ryan Doherty is having a solid season for Mount Saint Vincent with 11.8 points, 3.3 rebounds and 3.7 assists per game.
 
As a unit, the Dolphins average just shy of 73 points per game and are shooting nearly 42-percent from the floor. Mount Saint Vincent leads the conference in field goal percentage (.417), three-point field goals (84) and three-point field goal percentage (.351).
 
Recent History: Dating back to the 1992-93 season, the two teams have met 43 times with the Knights holding a 38-5 overall record and a 3-0 mark in the Skyline Conference Championship. The Mount won 37 straight decisions from 1992-2013, with the Dolphins taking five of the last six meetings.
 
Scouting Farmingdale State: The Rams stand at 4-3 overall and 3-0 in conference play heading into a home game against Sage on Wednesday. Farmingdale State was in action last on December 12, coming away with a 75-59 road win at Albertus Magnus. Tyra Harrison led the offensive attack with 16 points, with Essence Casey and A.J. Smith each chipping in with 11 tallies.
 
Entering Wednesday's contest with the Gators, Farmingdale State is led by 15.1 points per game from Harrison who also leads the way with 3.7 assists per game. Smith is good for 11.4 points per outing for the Rams and leads the way on the glass with 7.0 boards per outing. Harrison is fifth in the conference in scoring heading into the week and sixth in the league in assists.
 
Recent History: Going back to the 2001-02 season, the Knights and Rams have met 36 times overall, including nine times in the Skyline Conference Championship Final. The Knights hold a 24-12 overall record and an 8-1 mark with the conference crown on the line. The Mount won two of three meetings last season, with Farmingdale State holding a 7-2 record in the last nine matchups.
 
What's Next: Following two league games this week, Mount Saint Mary will host Old Westbury on January 11 before heading to the United States Merchant Marine Academy on January 14.