Blue Knights Eight Game Winning Streak Halted

NEWBURGH – The Mount Saint Mary College Women’s Basketball team saw its eight-game winning streak come to an end Saturday afternoon following a 64-41 loss at the College of Mount Saint Vincent. Morina Bojka was the only Knight to score in double-figures, finishing with 12 points.

Saturday’s loss, the Mount’s first defeat since November 27, drops it to 12-3 overall and 10-1 in Skyline Conference play. The win for the Dolphins improves them to 10-3 overall and 8-3 in conference play and stops an eight-game losing skid to the Knights.

First Half
Mount Saint Vincent got off to a good start and took a 16-6 advantage following one period, a lead it would not relinquish.

Mount Saint Mary never led in the game and after a Bojka jumper knotted the score at 2-2, the Dolphins scored the next six points to open an 8-2 lead with 3:39 left in the first quarter.

Mount Saint Vincent moved the advantage to double-figures for the first time on a Kira Villegas bucket with 46 seconds left and closed the opening stanza with a 16-6 lead following a Kayla Hanley jumper that fell through at the horn.

Mount Saint Mary finished the first quarter shooting 3-for-18 from the floor and 0-for-6 from three-point range.

Mount Saint Vincent shot 6-for-17 from the floor in the opening 10 minutes.

The Knights closed to within seven points twice in the early going of the second frame, but would not get any closer the rest of the way.

Mount Saint Vincent pushed the lead to 21-11 on a three-point play from Hanley at the 7:15 mark of the quarter and expanded its lead to 16 points five times in the final 4:13 of the half.

Bojka converted a layup in the closing seconds of the second quarter to bring the Knights to within 27-23 after 20 minutes.

Mount Saint Mary improved to 46.7-percent shooting in the second quarter and finished the half converting at 30.3-percent, but went just 1-for-12 from three-point range.

The Dolphins shot an even 50-percent from the floor in the second period, closing the half at 42.9-percent overall despite a 0-for-5 showing from three-point range.

Bojka led the Mount with 10 points in the first half on 5-for-13 shooting.

Amber Been closed the opening 20 minutes with 12 points for the Dolphins, adding 10 rebounds and four assists.

Second Half
Mount Saint Mary would not be able to cut its disadvantage smaller than 12 points after halftime.

A pair of Katie Smith free-throws in the opening minutes of the third period brought the Mount to within 37-25, the closet they would get the rest of the way.

Mount Saint Vincent spread its lead to 50-29 on a pair of Villegas free-throws with 2:45 left in the third period before taking a 54-30 advantage into the final stanza.

Mount Saint Vincent took a game-high 60-30 lead with 3:29 left to play before the Knights scored 11 of the final 15 points of the contest.

Mount Saint Mary went just 6-for-25 over the final two periods, hitting on three of its six three-point field goal attempts.

Mount Saint Vincent shot 55-percent from the floor after halftime, converting on 11 of its 22 attempts.

Smith led the Knights after halftime with five points.

Hanley and Villegas each scored eight points to lead the Dolphins in the second half.

For The Knights
Bojka led the Knights with 12 points after going 6-for-17 from the floor. She collected eight rebounds, adding an assist and a steal.

Smith finished with nine points on the strength of a 5-for-7 effort from the free-throw line.
Gabriella Rafaniello and Toriana Tabasco each pulled down five rebounds for the Knights.

For The Dolphins
Been led three Dolphins in double-figures with 17 points, closing the day with 14 rebounds, nine assists and four steals.

Hanley finished a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds, adding three assists.

Villegas added 12 points and six rebounds.

Mount Saint Mary looks to rebound on Wednesday when it travels to Farmingdale State.