Newburgh, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Women's Basketball team won its fourth straight game on Tuesday night, defeating Purchase 62-53. Four players finished in double figures for the Knights, led by 12 points each from
Katie Smith (Goshen, N.Y.) and
Lauren Desrats (Warwick, N.Y.).
The Mount closed out the first quarter on a 6-0 run to take a 16-11 lead into the second stanza.
Elizabeth Limonta (Stewart Manor, N.Y.) scored four of the six points to pace the closing run.
The Knights also finished the second quarter in similar fashion, ending the quarter on a 14-1 run to take a 34-24 lead into halftime.
Annie Keenan (Nesconset, N.Y.) had five points during the run and Smith had four to pace the Knights over the final minutes of the half.
The Panthers cut the lead to seven in the third quarter following an 8-2 run to end the period.
Lyndsay Pace (Cranford, N.Y.) scored five points in the quarter to lead the Knights.
The Knights maintained the lead in the fourth quarter after Purchase cut the lead to two multiple times. Smith knocked down six free throws in the final 38 seconds to finish the game with a nine-point victory.
Smith and Desrats led the team in points with 12 apiece and
Kayla Cleare (West Hempstead, N.Y.) and Keenan each had 11 for the Knights. Cleare finished with a double-double with 12 rebounds to go with her 11 points. Keenan finished just short of a double-double with nine rebounds on the night.
Maite Gritsko (Milford, C.T.) added a team-high five assists while Smith and Desrats each had four.
Amber Jones lead the Panthers with 11 points while Dejeana Peoples and Nyasia Harris each had 10 points. Harris finished with a double-double, adding 11 rebounds with her 10 points. Alfa DeJesus chipped in seven rebounds and Amber Yarter added four assists.
The Mount held Purchase to 26.7-percent shooting from the field and 21.2-percent from three. The Knights dominated the paint, outrebounding the Panthers 50-34 and outscoring them 24-12 in the paint. Mount Saint Mary converted 15 turnovers into 19 points on the night.
At 5-2 overall on the season and a perfect 3-0 in league play, Mount Saint Mary goes on the road to square off against Mount Saint Vincent on Thursday. Tip-off in Riverdale is scheduled for 6 p.m.
