NEW PALTZ, N.Y. – New year, same tough defense. The Mount Saint Mary College women's basketball team scored 33 points off 28 forced turnovers as they defeated SUNY New Paltz, 72-45, in the season opener for both teams on Wednesday night. Junior Amanda Horvers (Kingston, N.Y.) led all scorers with 16 points.

A tight first half turned into a nine-point Mount advantage as the Knights closed the opening 20 minutes on a 5-0 run. A layup at the buzzer by freshman Fallon Witte (Loudonville, N.Y.) sent the visitors to the locker room with a 32-23 lead at the break.

New Paltz scored the opening bucket of the second half, but the Knights answered with the next eight and a basket by senior Jess Tice (Altamont, N.Y.) at the 13:57 mark made the score, 40-25.

The Hawks clawed back to within 11 as sophomore Alex McCullough (Delmar, N.Y.) connected on a three-pointer and then a jumper in the paint. Mount Saint Mary put the game away, however, with 13 of the next 15 points. The Knights would continue to stretch their lead, going out in front by as many as 29 before settling in for a 27-point win.

Horvers connected on 4-of-8 attempts from three-point land and finished with 16 points to go along with seven boards. Tice did most of her damage at the free throw line (9-for-12) and wound up with 15 points. Junior Beth Deer (Guilderland, N.Y.) was also successful at the charity stripe, connecting on 10-of-12 attempts. She finished with 12 points.

McCullough led New Paltz with 13 points. Sophomore Maliqua Fisher (North Babylon, N.Y.) completed a double-double with 11 points and 10 boards. The Hawks shot just 28.3-percent from the field and made only 2-of-13 attempts from three.

With a confidence-building win under their belts, Mount Saint Mary will head to a tournament at the University of Rochester over the weekend. The Knights challenge Montclair State University in the opening round at 3:00 p.m. on Friday.