NEWBURGH – The Mount Saint Mary College Women’s Basketball team was eliminated from the Skyline Conference Championship on Thursday night following a 52-32 home loss to third seeded Sage. Sophomore Kayla Cleare led the scoring attack with 11 points for the Knights.
Mount Saint Mary scored the first basket of the game on Thursday, gaining its only lead of the contest on a Cleare jumper just 29 seconds into the tilt. The Gators then ripped off the next five points, including a three-point play from Emily Parslow, to take the lead for good in the game.
Sage led by as many as five points in the opening frame on Thursday, but the Knights fought back to within a single point three times over the final 5:15 of the first period, including in the final half minute when Kassidy Hallum connected from three-point range to get the Knights to within 13-12 after 10 minutes of play.
The Gators spread their lead back to four points in the opening minute of the second frame on a Gessica Patregnani triple and maintained at least a three point lead for the entire stanza. A pair of Bridget Kelly free-throws with 38 seconds left before halftime brought the Knights to within 26-21 after a Macie Holmes three spread the lead to seven points, but Frankie Pearson buried a triple with nine seconds left in the period to send the Gators to the intermission with a 29-21 lead.
Sage shot 40.9-percent from the floor over the opening 20 minutes and six of its nine field goals came from bonus distance. Pearson went 3-for-5 from long range prior to the break and led all scorers with nine points at the half.
Mount Saint Mary was held to 21.4-percent from the floor before halftime and a 1-for-5 effort from three-point range. Cleare led the Knights with seven first half points on 3-for-5 shooting.
After scoring 21 points prior to halftime, the Knights were held to 11 points over the final 20 minutes on Thursday. The Mount went 3-for-10 from the floor in the third stanza and converted just one field goal in the fourth frame, a Cleare bucket with 45 seconds left in the game.
Sage grew its lead to double-figures on a Kaitlyn Bowman bucket early in the third period and back-to-back triples late in the frame, including one at the third period horn from Parslow, spread the Sage lead to 41-27 with 10 minutes left to play.
Mount Saint Mary got a Lyndsay Pace free-throw early in the fourth and did not score again until Jordyn Hellpap converted from the free-throw line with just over two minutes left to play. Sage took advantage, outscoring the Mount 11-5 in the fourth frame and took a game-high 23 point lead on a pair of Pearson free-throws with 61 seconds remaining.
The Knights were held to 4-for-20 shooting after halftime and finished the game converting at 20.8-percent, finishing with a season-low in shooting and points scored. The Mount finished 1-for-9 from three-point range and saw Sage hold a 19-7 edge in points off of turnovers.
Cleare finished the game with team-highs in points with 11 and rebounds with eight. She went 5-for-11 from the floor and added an assist and a blocked shot. Kelly and Rini each finished with six points, with Kelly leading the team with two assists and adding six rebounds.
Sage, who shot 39.5-percent overall and an even 40-percent from three-point range, featured three players in double-figures, led by a game-high 14 points from Parslow. Schoeff contributed 13 points, five rebounds and three blocks, while Pearson posted 11 points. Bowman led the team with eight boards and Homles handed out a game-high four assists.
Thursday’s loss drops Mount Saint Mary to 19-6 overall on the season.