NEW YORK, N.Y. – Despite a game-high 23 points from junior Jen Mocanu (Belford, N.J.) and a strong all-around performance from senior Jess Tice (Altamont, N.Y.), Mount Saint Mary lost to Baruch, 69-67, in a tight non-conference game on Saturday. Both teams are now 6-2 overall.
Trailing by as many as 16 in the second half, the Mount chipped away at the Baruch advantage with a 16-6 run. Junior Amanda Horvers (Kingston, N.Y.) hit a three-pointer with 4:47 remaining to pull the Knights to within six, 59-53.
Baruch junior Folashade Akinde (Homewood, Ill.) answered with a layup, but the Mount closed the gap to one with a 7-0 run. Mocanu bookended a three-pointer from sophomore Charneice McCullough (Wyandanch, N.Y.) with a pair of buckets, and the Knights trailed 61-60 with 2:51 to play.
Still trailing by one at the 1:05 mark, Tice was fouled and went to the line for a pair of free throws. The senior made both to give the Knights their first lead of the second half, 67-66.
On the ensuing Baruch possession, however, senior Monique Salmon (Bronx, N.Y.) found Akinde for a layup that gave the Bearcats a one-point edge. The Knights failed to score on their next two possessions and Baruch sent sophomore Jessica Duleba (Commerce Township, Mich.) to the line, where she made one-of-two with eight seconds to play. Tice missed a three-pointer at the buzzer, allowing the Bearcats to escape with a two-point victory.
Mocanu shot 9-of-19 from the field and 5-of-5 from the line to lead all scorers with 23 points. Tice totaled 18 points, 13 rebounds, and broke a school record with seven blocks. Horvers finished with 11 points, connecting on 3-of-7 from downtown.
Akinde was one of two Bearcats to post a double-double, finishing with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Senior Megan Bouwens (Commerce Township, Mich.) led Baruch with 15 points and also grabbed a game-high 17 boards. Salmon and senior Regina Washington (New York, N.Y.) each contributed 12 points.
Strong defense was the theme of the day for both days. The Knights shot just 34.9-percent from the field, while the Bearcats didn't far much better at 37.3-percent.
The road doesn't get any easier for the Knights as they'll travel to William Paterson for their next scheduled contest. The game is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 18.