Gettysburg, Pa. - The Mount Saint Mary College Women's Basketball team took down Westfield State in thrilling fashion 85-80 as freshman Lauren Desrats (Warwick, N.Y.) buried a corner three with 19 seconds remaining to put the Knights on top for good. The win was the Knights first NCAA tournament victory since 2012.

The First Round contest was played at a rapid pace throughout as back to back layups from Kayla Cleare (West Hempstead, N.Y.) tied the game at 10 just three and a half minutes in. A three-pointer by Desrats and a mid-range jumper from Lyndsay Pace (Cranford, N.J.) put the Knights up by three late in the first quarter. The Owls closed the quarter on a 5-2 run to take a three point lead into the second period.

The Mount cut the lead to one point following a Desrats triple at the 7:41 mark of the second quarter. Westfield State then rattled off a 10-0 run over a two-minute stretch to push the lead to a game-high 12 point lead. The Knights countered with a 7-0 run to cut the lead to five but Lucy Barrett knocked down a deep triple to give the Owls an eight point lead heading into the half.

Cleare led the way in the first half with nine points and eight rebounds as Desrats chipped in eight points and Katie Smith (Goshen, N.Y.) added six points. The Knights shot 45.9-percent from the field in the first half but were only 2-for-9 from the three-point line. Westfield State was 11-for-32 from the three-point line in the half.

The lead was pushed back to ten in the third quarter following a Melissa Gray three at the 7:30 mark. The Knights responded with the next six points after an Elizabeth Limonta (Stewart Manor, N.Y.) layup with 5:28 to go in the quarter.

The back and forth pace continued as an Annie Keenan (Nesconset, N.Y.) triple cut the lead to one with 30 seconds to go in the quarter. Kierra McCarthy knocked down a triple to end the quarter as the Owls held a four point lead after three periods.

Back to back triples from Keenan and Desrats gave the Knights a two-point lead for the first time since the 3:38 mark of the first quarter. McCarthy once again knocked down a big shot as her three-pointer with 2:08 remaining tied the game at 78 apiece.

After the leads were traded once again, the game was tied at 80 heading into the final minute. Following a Mount Saint Mary timeout, Smith found Desrats in the corner for a big three-pointer with just 19 seconds left in the contest.

The Owls were held scoreless in the final 19 seconds as Keenan made two free throws to give the Knights a five point victory and their first NCAA tournament victory in seven years. The victory was also the first NCAA tournament win by a Skyline Conference member in seven years.

The Knights shot a blistering 53.1-percent in the second half and were 5-for-6 from the three-point line. The Owls were limited to 23.3-percent from the field and only shot 7-for-29 from the three. The Mount finished the half outrebounding the Owls 33-16.

Desrats tied her career-high with 19 points on the night along with five rebounds and three assists. Keenan and Cleare both finished with double-doubles as Cleare added 13 points and 13 rebounds and Keenan had 14 points and 11 boards. Limonta chipped in nine points and 10 rebounds while Smith and Maite Gritsko (Milford, Conn.) each had a team-high four assists.

Barrett finished with 21 points, four boards and three steals, Gray had 17 points and McCarthy added 12 points, seven boards, four steals and three assists. Chelsea Moussette chipped in a game-high nine assists.

The Mount finished the night shooting 49.3-percent as a team and finished 7-for-13 from deep. The Knights held the Owls to 30.6-percent for the game and 18-for-61 from three as Westfield State set the championship record for the most three-pointers in a game.

The Knights outscored Westfield State 36-12 in points in the paint and also beat them in fast break points 12-6. The Owls outscored the Knights in points off turnovers 23-6 while the Mount had the advantage in second chance points at 23-13. Mount Saint Mary outrebounded Westfield State 60-38 and grabbed 18 offensive caroms.

The Knights advance to the Second Round of the NCAA tournament as they will take on Christopher Newport tomorrow evening. Tip is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. at the Bream Center.