Newburgh, N.Y. – Defense of its 2022 Skyline Conference Championship begins Tuesday night when the Mount Saint Mary College Women's Basketball team hosts sixth-seeded Mount Saint Vincent in the First Round of the 2023 Skyline Conference Women's Basketball Championship. Tip-off from the Kaplan Center is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with Live Stats and Video available for those unable to attend.
 
How We Got Here: The Knights won their last three regular season decisions and 14 of their last 16 to earn the third seed in the conference championship, just one game out of a first-place tie. Mount Saint Vincent had to defeat Yeshiva in the regular season finale to sneak into the field with the final berth.
 
At A Glance: Mount Saint Mary opens play Tuesday with an 18-5 overall record and finished conference play at 15-3. The Knights overwhelmed St. Joseph's-Brooklyn on Saturday in the regular season finale, cruising to a 99-63 win on Senior Day.
 
Mount Saint Mary has only one player averaging in double figures through 23 games, but features five players posting at least 8.0 points per game. Katie Smith (Goshen, N.Y.) leads the scoring attack with 11.8 points per game and is coming off a career-high 27 points on Saturday. Smith shoots 43.7-percent from the field for the Knights and leads the team with 3.9 assists per outing.
 
Erin Smith (Goshen, N.Y.) is good for 8.5 points per game for the Mount and is second on the team with 26 three-point field goals. E. Smith adds 2.5 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game for the Knights.
 
Asia Rivera (Saddle Brook, N.J.) leads the team with 2.4 steals per game and contributes 8.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. Kate Hughes (Belle Harbor, N.Y.) paces the Mount on the glass with 5.1 caroms per game to go along with 8.3 points per outing.
 
Lauren Desrats (Warwick, N.Y.) checks in with an even 8.0 points per game and leads the team with 28 three-point field goals. Derats chips in 3.5 rebounds, 1.9 assists and just over one steal per game for the Mount.
 
Mount Saint Mary leads the Skyline Conference in scoring, pouring in 75.4 points per game, and sits third in scoring defense, allowing 51.5 points to its opponents. The Knights shoot 39.6-percent overall, third in the conference, 29.1-percent from three-point range, also third in the league, and 66.7-percent from the free-throw line.
 
Scouting Mount Saint Vincent: The Dolphins won their last three regular season contests, including a 51-45 victory over Yeshiva in the finale, to enter the championship with an 11-12 overall record and a 7-11 mark in Skyline Conference play.
 
Amber Been leads the Dolphins on both ends of the floor, leading the team in scoring with 14.4 points per game and assists with 3.8 helpers per outing. Been hauls in better than seven rebounds per outing and is tied for the Skyline Conference lead with just over three steals per game.
 
Kira Villegas contributes 13.6 points per game to the scoring attack, adding 6.8 rebounds and 3.0 steals, while Melanieann Broderick paces the Dolphins with nearly eight boards per night while chipping in 7.8 points.
 
Mount Saint Vincent ranks eighth in the Skyline Conference in scoring with 53.9 points per game, but fourth in the conference in scoring defense, surrendering just 53.0 points per game. The Dolphins convert at 34.3-percent overall, 23.5-percent from three-point range and 62.4-percent from the free-throw line.
 
Regular Season Series: The Knights took both regular season meetings from the Dolphins, earning a 69-52 home win on December 8 and a 77-42 road victory on January 26.
 
The Knights broke open a game that was 47-40 through three quarters with a 22-12 advantage in the final period on December 8. The Knights shot 53.8-percent in the fourth quarter and held the Dolphins to 4-for-14 shooting in the final frame.
 
Desrats paced the Knights in the home victory with 19 points with Charlotte Twohig (Syosset, N.Y.) producing 14 points, five steals and four assists. Been and Villegas combined for 33 of the Dolphins' 52 points with Been narrowly missing a triple-double with 10 rebounds and seven assists.
 
In Riverdale on January 26, the Knights outscored the Dolphins 46-18 in the second half to win going away. Hughes produced a double-double with a career-high 20 points and 10 rebounds with Cailean Nolan (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) canning five three-pointers on her way to 15 points. E. Smith chipped in 12 points and K. Smith finished the victory with 11 points and five assists.
 
Been finished another double-double for the Dolphins, totaling 13 points and 10 boards while handing out four assists.
 
Recent History: Including the two regular season victories, Mount Saint Mary holds a 24-7 record against the Dolphins since the start of the 2007-08 season. The Knights have won 10 of the last 11 matchups heading into Tuesday.
 
Recent Skyline Conference Championship History: Mount Saint Mary won the 13^th conference crown in 2022 and the first since 2012 with a 61-53 victory over USMMA. Mount Saint Mary won 10 straight Skyline Conference Championships from 200-09.
 
What's Next: Tuesday's winner will move on to play at second seed Manhattanville in the Semifinal Round on Thursday.