Newburgh, N.Y. – The top-seeded Mount Saint Mary College Women's Basketball team is set to host the fourth seeded Mariners from the United States Merchant Marine Academy on Thursday in the Semifinal Round of the 2018 Skyline Conference Championship. Live stats and Video will be available for those who cannot attend the 7:00 p.m. tip-ff.
 
Admission: Per Skyline Conference rules, admission will be charged for Thursday night's contest. Admission for adults will be $5 and children under the age of 12 will be $3. Students with a valid Skyline Conference institution ID will NOT be charged admission.
 
At A Glance: Mount Saint Mary has won its last 14 games and enters Thursday's tilt with a 20-5 overall record. The Knights have not lost a game since an 84-72 home non-conference loss to Transylvania on December 20 and have reached at least 20 victories in a season for the first time since the 2011-12 campaign.
 
The Knights lead the Skyline Conference in scoring defense, allowing only 50 points per game, and rank second in the league in field goal percentage defense, allowing opponents to shoot just 30.1-percent over the course of the regular season.
 
Senior Jessica Rini (Seaford, N.Y.) paces the Mount Saint Mary scoring attack with 13.2 points per game, shooting 45.7-percent from the floor on the season. She scored her 1,000^th career points on January 30 against the College of Mount Saint Vincent and is second on the team in rebounding average with just shy of eight caroms per outing.
 
Junior Kayla Cleare (West Hempstead, N.Y.) is contributing 10.9 points per game and is leading the team in rebounding average with 8.9 boards per contest. Cleare is shooting 51.3-percent from the floor through the regular season and is second on the team with 31 blocked shots.
 
Elizabeth Limonta (Stewart Manor, N.Y.) leads the Mount with 34 blocks on the season and is one of five players averaging at least five points per game. She is good for nearly nine points per outing and is hauling in 7.6 rebounds per game. Freshman Katie Smith (Goshen, N.Y.) is good for 7.8 points per game and leads the team with 3.3 assists per game, while Jordyn Hellpap (Hackensack, N.J.) is scoring 5.8 points per contest and leads the team with 29 three-point field goals.
 
Nationally, the Knights rank inside the top-10 in three categories; ranking third in field goal percentage defense, fourth in rebounding margin (13.9) and ninth in rebounds per game (48.56).
 
Scouting USMMA: The Mariners come calling with a 17-8 overall record and are coming off a 61-52 First Round victory over the College of Mount Saint Vincent on Tuesday. The Mariners were led by 19 points apiece from Tichina Carmon and Kiana Vega, with Taylor Hightower checking in with 13 points.
 
Kaleigh D'Arcy leads the USMMA scoring attack with just under 16 points a game and is one of three players to average double-figures, joined by Carmon who is good for nearly 13 points per outing and Vega who is posting 10.6 points per game.
 
Shelby Peters paces the Mariners on the boards with 9.4 caroms per night with Gabrielle Salazar leading the way with nearly three steals per game and just under four assists per contest.
 
The Mariners are third in the conference in scoring defense, offensive rebounds and field goal percentage defense. USMMA is surrendering 52 points per game, allowing opponents to shoot 32.8-percent from the floor and is hauling in better than 18 offensive rebounds per game.
 
Regular Season Series: The Knights took both regular season matchups from the Mariners, posting a 69-47 road win on January 6 and taking a 58-46 home win on February 10.
 
In the road win, the Mount shot 39.7-percent from the floor, but went just 3-for-22 from the three-point range. The Knights held a 40-16 advantage in paint points in the game and were led by 18 points from Rini. Smith totaled 12 points and five assists, while Limonta came off the bench to produce 14 points and a team-high 15 rebounds.
 
In the home victory, the Knights were held to 31.1-percent shooting, but the defense stifled the Mariners, allowing the visitors to convert at only 28.6-percent for the game. The Knights finished the game with a 16-7 advantage in second chance scoring and were led by 11 points from Janae Graham (Orange, Conn.).
 
Skyline Conference Championship History: The Knights are making their fourth straight appearance in the Skyline Conference Championship Semifinals and are making their 18^th appearance in the event over the last 19 seasons. The Knights are in search of their first conference crown since the 2011-12 season, the second of back-to-back titles and the 12^th in a 13-year span.
 
What's At Stake: A berth in Saturday's Skyline Conference Championship Final over the winner of the Old Westbury and Farmingdale State semifinal matchup. The Knights are in search of their first appearance in the final since winning the crown 2012.