NEWBURGH, N.Y. – In a matchup of NCAA Tournament participants from a year ago, Mount Saint Mary College got the better of eighteenth-ranked Western Connecticut State University on Thursday evening. The Knights (12-2 overall) defeated the Colonials (12-2) by a final score of 63-60.

A tight contest throughout, the momentum swung to the Mount near the midpoint of the second half. With her team trailing by a point, Mount Saint Mary sophomore Becky Metzger (Point Pleasant, N.J.) swished a three-pointer from the corner, giving the Knights a two-point advantage. Western Connecticut senior Melissa Teel (Hamden, Conn.) tied the game at 47, banking home a layup with 8:18 remaining.

Over the next three minutes, Mount Saint Mary would seize control with an 8-2 run. Sophomore Charneice McCullough (Wyandanch, N.Y.) drained a triple at the 5:38 mark to send the Knights to a six-point lead (55-49).

Still trailing as the clock ticked below a minute, the Colonials closed to within two as senior Heather Lee (Seymour, Conn.) knocked down a three-pointer to make the score, 60-58. With WestConn forced to foul, Mount sophomore Kate Hartnett (Floral Park, N.Y.) left the door slightly open by making only the front end of a one-and-one.

On the ensuing possession, Western Connecticut set up Lee for a terrific look from the top of the key, but her game-tying attempt was long and Hartnett gobbled up the defensive rebound. Hartnett made both free throws with 13 seconds showing on the clock, putting the game out of reach. Western Connecticut senior Karli Spera (Waterford, Conn.) made it a three-point game with 1.5 seconds on the clock, but the Knights inbounded the ball to run out the clock.

Mount Saint Mary senior Jess Tice (Altamont, N.Y.) led the Knights with 19 points, five rebounds, four blocks, and four steals. Hartnett finished with 13 points, 14 rebounds, and a team-high five assists, while junior Jen Mocanu (Belford, N.J.) added 14 points.

Teel paced the Colonials with 19 points on 9-of-10 from the floor. The senior completed a double-double with 10 boards. Lee totaled 11 points and eight rebounds, but shot just 3-of-14 from the field. Spera racked up eight points to go along with six assists, but also struggled to find her shooting touch, connecting on just 4-of-15.

A sharp-shooting three-point team on the year (124 made through their first 13 games), Western Connecticut simply went cold in the second half. The Colonials made just 2-of-17 long range attempts during the final 20 minutes and finished the contest at 8-for-31 (25.8-percent).

Some credit should be given to the Mount Saint Mary College defense, which turned in another formidable performance. Metzger and McCullough contributed hard-nosed efforts at both ends of the floor.

Up next for the Knights is a return to Skyline Conference play on Saturday. Mount Saint Mary will host Purchase College at 1:00 p.m. inside the Kaplan Center.