Middlebury, Vt. – Three Knights scored in double-figures, including a team-high 14 points from
Shannon Phelan (Tappan, N.Y.), as the Mount Saint Mary College Women's Basketball team passed its first road test of the season with a hard fought 68-61 victory at Middlebury Saturday afternoon.
Saturday's win moves the Mount to 1-1 on the season and in the process collects its first victory in four meetings with the Panthers. Middlebury dropped its 2022-23 season opener and falls to 0-1.
First Half
- Both teams came out firing in the opening stanza, with the Knights holding a 21-20 advantage after 10 minutes of play.
- Middlebury built a lead as large as five points following an Alexa Mustafaj jumper with 4:39 left in the opening stanza.
- Mount Saint Mary answered with the next four points, including a pair of free-throws from Phelan, to pull to within 14-13 and would grab a 16-15 lead with 1:38 left in the quarter on a Phelan three-pointer.
- After the Panthers jumped back in front 17-16, the Knights ripped off the next five points, including another Phelan triple, to surge in front 21-17 with 40 seconds left in the period.
- The Panthers closed the quarter with the final three points, all from the free-throw line, to get back to within a single point heading into the second stanza.
- The second quarter was as tightly contested as the first, with Erin Smith (Goshen, N.Y.) and Mustafaj trading three-pointers in the opening 26 seconds of the frame.
- Five straight points from Mustafaj pushed Middlebury back in front 30-27 with 7:42 left before halftime.
- Lauren Desrats (Warwick, N.Y.) got the Knights back even with a three-pointer, but Mustafaj answer again with a personal five-point run to move the Panthers in front 35-30 with 5:37 left in the first half.
- Ciarra Quinn (Bayside, N.Y.) and Desrats hit back with back-to-back triples to get the Mount back in front 36-35 and spread the lead to 39-35 on an E. Smith free-throw with 3:40 left in the second stanza.
- The Panthers pulled to within 39-37 with 92 seconds left before halftime before a Katie Smith (Goshen, N.Y.) jumper sent the Mount into the intermission with a 41-37 advantage.
- Mount Saint Mary shot an even 40-percent from the floor over the first 20 minutes and connected on 10 three-pointers before the intermission.
Second Half
- The third period featured just 22 combined points, with the Knights holding just a two-point lead heading into the fourth period.
- Mount Saint Mary was held off the board in the third frame until the 7:33 mark when K. Smith knocked down a jumper to break a 41-41 tie.
- The Knights would not trail until the 5:23 mark of the period and fell behind by as many as four points following an Emily Downer conversion with 3:41 left.
- The Knights pulled back in front following a pair of Kaeli McAnally (Bay Shore, N.Y.) buckets and went to the fourth up 51-49 following a Quinn lay-up with 65 seconds left in the quarter.
- Mount Saint Mary never trailed in the fourth quarter and would not allow the Panthers closer than 51-50 following a Downer free-throw in the opening minute of the stanza.
- The Knights answered with the next seven points, including four from Phelan, to surge in front 58-50 with just under eight minutes left in regulation.
- The Knights would hold a lead of eight points on two other occasions, before a Kate Hughes (Belle Harbor, N.Y.) layup with 1:35 left to play gave the Knights their largest lead of the game at 66-57.
- The Hughes bucket was the last field goal of the game for the Mount, but Middlebury managed just one field goal the rest of the way.
- Mount Saint Mary cooled to 32.3-percent shooting after halftime and hit on just one three-pointer.
- The Knights' defense limited Middlebury to just 20-percent shooting after halftime and a 1-for-14 effort from behind the arc.
For The Knights
- Phelan finished off a big game for the Mount with a team-high 14 points off the bench, adding seven rebounds.
- Desrats scored in double-figures for the second straight game to open the season, netting 13 points, including three triples, to go along with seven rebounds a team-high four assists, a block and a steal.
- E. Smith scored a season-high 12 points, hitting on three triples, and added a pair of assists.
- McAnally scored seven points and added a pair of rebounds, an assist and a steal.
For The Panthers
- Mustafaj poured in a game-high 28 points on 10-for-22 shooting and added eight rebounds.
- Downer chipped in 14 points and eight caroms.
- Gabby Stuart came off the bench to net 12 points and finished off a double-double with a game-high 12 rebounds.
Game Statistics
- Mount Saint Mary shot 36.4-percent for the game and knocked down 11 three-pointers, shooting 32.4-percent from bonus distance.
- Middlebury was limited to 29.7-percent shooting overall and a 6-for-24 effort from three-point range.
- Mount Saint Mary turned 24 Middlebury turnovers into a 17-8 advantage in points off of miscues.
- Led by Phelan's 14 points, the Mount finished with a 35-15 edge in bench scoring.
What's Next
- Mount Saint Mary plays host to Oneonta on Tuesday.
- Middlebury heads to Arlington, Va. To take on Widener in the opener of the Pablo Cato Tournament hosted by Marymount on Friday.
