Brooklyn, N.Y. – Sophomore Kayla Cleare (West Hempstead, N.Y.) poured in a season-high 22 points and added a season-high 18 rebounds as the Mount Saint Mary College Women's Basketball team earned a 57-47 road win at St. Joseph's-Brooklyn in its final tune-up before the Skyline Conference Championship on Saturday afternoon.
 
After trailing in the opening minutes on Saturday, the Knights put together an 11-0 run, keyed by eight points from Cleare and a three-pointer from freshman Jordyn Hellpap (Hackensack, N.J.). The Bears answered the run with a 16-5 stretch to move in front 19-16 on a pair of Lauren Quesada free-throws before a Cleare bucket in the closing seconds of the first period brought the Knights to within 19-18 after 10 minutes of action.
 
Cleare gave the Knights back the lead with a conversion in the opening minute of the second stanza and the lead grew to four points on a Lyndsay Pace (Cranford, N.J.) triple with 8:14 left before halftime. The Mount remained in front until a three-point play from Victoria Porcasi gave the Bears back a two point lead with 5:21 left in the second stanza.
 
The Porcasi points would be the last for St. Joseph's before halftime as the Mount scored the final eight points of the first half to carry a 33-27 lead into break. Junior Bridget Kelly (Farmington, Conn.) tallied four points over the closing run for the Knights.
 
The Knights shot just under 42-percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes with Cleare posting a double-double prior to the break with 12 points and 11 rebounds. Kassidy Hallum (Lake Grove, N.Y.) posted five points off the bench in the first half for the Knights, with Hellpap handing out three assists.
 
Mount Saint Mary would not trail after regaining the lead late in the second quarter and built its advantage to double-figures for the first time in the game on a Taylor Whiffen (Wading River, N.Y.) jumper with 5:20 left in the third frame. A Cleare conversion nearly two minutes later gave the Mount it largest lead of the game, a 43-30 edge, with just under four minutes left in the third frame.
 
The Mount did not allow St. Joseph's closer than eight points after moving in front by double-figures in the third period and led by as many as 12 in the fourth frame following an Elizabeth Limonta (Stewart Manor, N.Y.) bucket with 3:22 left to play. The Mount defense went on to hold the Bears to just two field goals over the final 4:36 of regulation to secure the victory.
 
Cleare finished the game 9-for-14 from the floor and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line, adding a game-high 18 rebounds. She was the lone Knight to score in double-figures, with Limonta finishing with 12 rebounds and eight points.
 
Hellpap, Kelly, Pace and Maite Gritsko (Milford, Conn.) all handed out three assists in the game, with Gritsko swiping two of the team's five steals. Hellpap contributed nine points to the win, knocking in a pair of three-pointers.
 
St. Joseph's was led by 18 points from Porcasi and 15 tallies from Deestiny Marino. Kristen Ferrigno led the Bears with seven rebounds in the game.
 
Mount Saint Mary shot 44.2-percent from the floor in the game and finished up 4-for-10 from three-point range. The Knights held the Bears to 26.2-percent shooting in the contest and outscored St. Joseph's 32-16 in the paint.
 
Saturday's win is the Mount's third straight and moves it to 19-5 overall on the season and to 15-3 in Skyline Conference play. The Knights will open play in the Skyline Conference Championship at a date and time to be announced.