Old Westbury, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College Women's Basketball team swept the regular season series from Old Westbury and moved in front by two games over the Panthers and USMMA in the Skyline Conference standings on Thursday with a 50-38 road win against the Panthers. Senior Jessica Rini (Seaford, N.Y.) led all scorers in the game with 19 points.
 
A tightly contested first half saw the two teams head into the intermission tied at 20-20. The Mount went nearly four minutes without a field goal late in the first period, before a Rini conversion with 16 seconds left in the frame brought the Knights to within 10-9 after 10 minutes of action.
 
Mount Saint Mary used a 7-2 stretch early in the second stanza to open a 16-12 lead on a Rini jumper and matched its half-high lead when Elizabeth Limonta (Stewart Manor, N.Y.) converted a layup with 3:04 left before halftime to push the Knights in front 19-15.
 
Following the Limonta conversion, the Mount managed just a free-throw from Rini over the final three minutes of the second stanza, as Old Westbury got a three-pointer from La'Niya Clark and a bucket from Monique Joseph in the final half minute of the period to knot the score at 20-20 heading into in the intermission.
 
Both teams struggled from the floor in the opening 20 minutes with the Knights converting at 29.2-percent and Old Westbury shooting just 22-percent. The two teams combined to go 1-for-17 from three-point range, with the Knights unable to connect on their four attempts, and the Mount outscored the Panthers 6-1 from the free-throw line. Rini led all scorers at the break with 13 points.
 
Coming out of halftime the two teams went nearly three minutes without scoring before a Maite Gritsko (Milford, Conn.) triple pushed the Knights in front 23-20. There would not be another field goal in the quarter until a Rini conversion with less than two minutes left in the stanza as the two sides combined for just four field goals. Old Westbury went without a conversion until a Tyra Bellings three-pointer with 1:11 left in the quarter as the Mount outscored the Panthers 9-5 and carried a 29-25 lead into the final 10 minutes.
 
After scoring 29 points over the first three periods, the Mount erupted for 21 points in the fourth stanza and pulled away from the Panthers. The Mount used a 14-1 run to surge in front 43-26 on a Jordyn Hellpap (Hackensack, N.J.) conversion and only let Old Westbury as close as seven points the remainder of the night. Mount Saint Mary had four separate players score over the run, led by five points each from Limonta and Hellpap.
 
Old Westbury sliced its disadvantage to seven points on a three-point play from Tori Bellings with 50 seconds left in the fourth period, but the Mount connected on five of its eight free-throws in the final minute to secure its ninth straight victory.
 
Mount Saint Mary limited Old Westbury to 13.9-percent shooting after halftime and held the Panthers to an 18.2-percent conversion rate for the game. Old Westbury went 5-for-32 from three-point range and misfired on 10 free-throws in the game.
 
Rini was the lone Knight to score in double-figures, finishing 6-for-16 from the floor and 7-for-10 from the free-throw line to go along with nine rebounds, three blocked shots and a pair of steals. Limonta came off the bench to produce eight points, five rebounds and a team-high three assists.
 
The Mount rounded out the night shooting 31.9-percent overall and 2-for-11 from three-point range, with Gritsko and Hellpap connecting on the only three-pointers. The Knights also missed on 10 free-throws, but outscored the Panthers 18-5 from the stripe.
 
At 15-5 overall and 12-1 in Skyline Conference play, Mount Saint Mary looks for its 10^th straight win on Sunday when it travels to Yeshiva. Tip-off with the Maccabees at Maritime College in Throggs Neck, N.Y. is set for 12:00 p.m.