Trinkaus Helps Mount Surge Past Old Westbury

NEWBURGH – Mount Saint Mary College women’s basketball dominated the glass in a 53-point victory over Old Westbury.

Mount Saint Mary was looking to rebound after a tough loss to St. Joseph’s Long Island, and they did, figuratively and quite literally. The Knights almost had as many offensive rebounds as Old Westbury had points, 37, and controlled the glass, scoring 42 second-chance points. Erin Lofaro started off the game knocking down a couple of free throws as her paint presence was instantly felt by the Panthers. An 8-0 run early on in the quarter gave the Knights a 12-4 lead after a Margaret Trinkaus layup. Trinkaus has found herself a spot in the starting lineup as a freshman for the Mount, and her 20 points and 12 rebounds this afternoon solidified that statement. It wasn’t all butterflies and rainbows for the Knights, though, as Old Westbury crowded the paint defensively and dared the Knights to shoot. Mount Saint Mary only shot 5-33 from beyond the arc this afternoon, something they are going to have to clean up moving forward. Their ability to dominate the glass and play a 12-person rotation made up for that flaw, as they led 44-22 after the first half.

The Knights continued to play hard well into the second half as everyone ate for the Knights. All players notched double-digit minutes, and 11 out of 12 of them would score.

The Mount’s bench, led by Kate Hughes this afternoon, nearly outscored the starters, scoring 45 of their 91 points. The leading rebounder for the Knights this game, Shannon Phelan, got some of their mojo back after knocking down two threes at the end of the third quarter to put Mount Saint Mary up 65-30. Freshman Keira Frias scored six points in a two-minute span to start the fourth that included a three and a converted and-one layup. Mount Saint Mary hooped until the final whistle winning this match by a score of 91-38.