Smith Nets Career-High In Non-Conference Loss

NEWBURGH – The Mount Saint Mary College Women’s Basketball team finished off the 2017 portion of the schedule on Wednesday evening with an 84-72 home non-conference loss to visiting Transylvania. Freshman Katie Smith led three Knights in double-figures with a career-high 17 points against the Pioneers.

Mount Saint Mary never led in the game and was held without a field goal until the 2:36 mark of the first period. The Pioneers used an 11-0 run during the scoring drought to open a 14-2 lead on a Shelby Boyle three-point field goal. The Pioneers went on to open a 25-10 lead on a Macy Ford triple before Kayla Cleare beat the first quarter horn with a jumper to slice the deficit to 25-12 after 10 minutes of play.

Transylvania held a double-figure lead in the second stanza until a Smith triple sliced the disadvantage to 38-30 with 1:43 left before halftime. The Pioneers answered with a Rachel Cox three-pointer and got a three-point play from Cox in the closing seconds of the second frame to carry a 46-34 advantage into halftime.

The Knights converted at 39.3-percent in the opening 20 minutes and knocked in five triples, while the Pioneers shot an efficient 55.2-percent overall and a blistering 55-percent (11-for-20) from three-point range. Cox and Boyle led all players with 14 points on the break, while Cleare paced the Knights with 10 first half tallies.

The Mount got to within seven points on a Jessica Rini jumper at the 8:31 mark of the third frame, but the Pioneers would not let the Knights closer than that in the period and spread their lead back to 60-45 on an Ashton Woodard triple with 2:07 left in the quarter. The advantage grew to 16 points twice in the final minutes of the third, once on a Boyle triple and again on a Cox lay-in at the horn than pushed the Pioneers in front 65-49.

Mount Saint Mary mounted a fourth period comeback with an 11-2 run that saw it climb to within six points with just under four minutes left in regulation time. Transylvania was held without a field goal over the run, while the Knights went 5-for-8 and got four points from Elizabeth Limonta.

Transylvania quickly spread the lead back to nine points on a Boyle triple and pushed its lead back to 13 points on a pair of Macey Ford free-throws with 2:14 left to play. The Knights got back to within 10 twice late in the fourth, before a pair of Kerigan Davis free-throws closed the scoring with 15 seconds left.

The Pioneers cooled to 38.1-percent shooting in the second half, but five of its eight made field goals came from behind the arc. The Pioneers also connected on 17 of their 19 free-throw attempts after halftime with Cox and Kristen Hayes leading the scoring attack with 11 points. Mount Saint Mary converted at 51.6-percent in the second half, but knocked in just two of its nine three-point field goal attempts.

Smith finished the game 7-for-16 from the floor with a trio of triples as she scored in double-figures for the third time in her rookie season. She added three assists and a rebound for the Knights. Cleare finished 5-for-9 from the floor with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Rini chipped in with 12 points and four boards.

Jordyn Hellpap paced the Mount with five assists, adding eight points and four rebounds. Lyndsay Pace added eight points and Limonta finished with six tallies and four boards.

Transylvania was led by 25 points from Cox who finished 7-for-11 from the floor and got 23 points, on the strength of seven three-point field goals, from Boyle. Hayes came off the bench to produce 21 points, while Zenoviah Walker handed out five assists.

Mount Saint Mary rounded out the game shooting 45.8-percent overall and went 7-for-21 from three-point range. The Pioneers converted at 48-percent and finished 16-for-32 from three-point range while outscoring the Knights 20-11 from the free-throw line.

At 6-5 overall, Mount Saint Mary will be off until hosting Skyline Conference front runner Old Westbury on January 3. Tip-off with the Panthers is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.