Newburgh, N.Y. – Katie Smith (Goshen, N.Y.) led three players in double-figures with a game-high 19 points, including the 1,000
th tally of her career, and
Kate Hughes (Belle Harbor, N.Y.) scored a career-high 18 points as the Mount Saint Mary College Women's Basketball team scored its eighth straight victory with an impressive 77-51 win over St. Joseph's-L.I. Saturday afternoon.
Saturday's win moves Mount Saint Mary to 12-3 overall and 9-1 in Skyline Conference play, while the Golden Eagles slip to 9-6 and 7-3 in conference competition.
First Half
- A spirited first quarter saw the visitors hold an 18-16 lead after 10 minutes of play.
- The two teams went back-and-forth over the opening 2:33 with a Megan Spina bucket for the visitors knotting the score at 5-5.
- An Alyssa Adomaites three-pointer gave St. Joseph's an 8-7 lead and a second triple from Adomaites pushed the Golden Eagles in front 11-9.
- Following a K. Smith layup that knotted the score at 11-11, St. Joseph's scored the next five points to jump in front 16-11 with 1:47 left in the first period.
- Adomaites gave the visitors their largest lead of the game when she dropped in a jumper with 1:22 left in the first frame to give her team a 18-12 lead.
- Mount Saint Mary answered with the final four points of the period, including a Hughes layup in the closing seconds, to pull to within 18-16 after 10 minutes of play.
- After allowing St. Joseph's to shoot better than 41-percent in the first quarter, the Knights put the clamps down on defense, surrendering just five points in the second stanza.
- The Knights surrendered the first basket of the second quarter, but then ripped off 10 straight points to grab a 26-20 advantage with 5:45 left before halftime.
- After gaining the lead, the Knights would not trail again in the game and scored the final six points of the quarter to spread its lead to a half-high 32-23 at the intermission.
- Mount Saint Mary shot just 29.5-percent in the opening 20 minutes and went 1-for-13 from three-point range, but made four more field goals than St. Joseph's and outscored the Golden Eagles 5-1 from the free-throw line.
- The Golden Eagles were held to 18.2-percent shooting in the second quarter and finished the first half shooting 32.1-percent.
Second Half
- The Knights used a huge third quarter, pouring in 28 points, to open the game up in the second half.
- The Mount scored 10 of the first 12 points coming out of halftime, including six from Hughes, to surge in front 42-25 with 7:26 left in the third period.
- The advantage grew to 50-30 on another Hughes conversion midway through the quarter before grabbing a 58-32 lead on a Lauren Desrats (Warwick, N.Y.) triple with 1:19 left in the stanza.
- A Charlotte Twohig (Syosset, N.Y.) conversion early in the fourth period ballooned the lead to 66-39.
- Cailean Nolan (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) buried a three-pointer with 2:28 left to give the Knights a game-high 77-48 advantage.
- Mount Saint Mary improved to 54.8-percent shooting after halftime and knocked in a trio of three-pointers.
- St. Joseph's was held to 8-for-32 shooting after halftime, including 1-for-8 from three-point range.
- Hughes led the Mount with 15 seconds half points, going a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor.
- K. Smith scored 12 second half points, including the 1,000th of her career on a three-point play with 4:06 left to play.
For The Knights
- Hughes closed the day 7-for-8 from the floor and 4-for-6 from the free-throw line on her way to a career-high point total. She finished off a double-double with a game-high 10 rebounds and added two steals.
- K. Smith led all players in the game with 19 points to go along with six assists. Smith becomes the 18th 1,000-point scorer at the Mount since the start of the 1991-92 season.
- Rivera scored in double-figures for the fifth straight game, totaling 10 points. Rivera added five rebounds and a career-high seven steals.
- Brianna Guglielmo (Smithtown, N.Y.) chipped in six points and nine caroms.
- Kaeli McAnally (Bay Shore, N.Y.) handed out four assists and scored four points.
For The Golden Eagles
- Adomaites led the team with 12 points and handed out two assists.
- Lanyah Ford and Julianna Knice each collected seven rebounds with Ford scoring nine points and Knice handing out three assists.
Game Statistics
- Mount Saint Mary shot an even 40.0-percent from the floor, despite a 4-for-23 showing from three-point range.
- St. Joseph's was held to 28.3-percent shooting overall and went 5-for-19 from three-point range.
- Mount Saint Mary dominated the paint, outscoring the Golden Eagles 48-18 inside.
- Transition points went the Knights by a convincing 19-2 margin.
- Mount Saint Mary secured 20 offensive rebounds, leading to a 12-0 edge in second chance points.
- The Knights' defense forced 29 turnovers leading to 30 points.
What's Next
- Mount Saint Mary returns to action on January 25 when it travels to the College of Mount Saint Vincent.
- St. Joseph's hosts Sarah Lawrence on Tuesday.
