If there's one thing that will stick in Lehman head coach Eric Harrison's mind following his team's opening night 60-57 loss to visiting Mount Saint Vincent on Monday night, it will be the number 25.
That represents the number of offensive rebounds grabbed by the Dolphins.
And of those 25 offensive rebounds, none was bigger than the one corralled by Kerry O'Conner off a missed free throw by Katie Foley with Lehman trailing by two and 13 seconds remaining in the game.
O'Connor's rebound was actually the second in a span of two consecutive possessions for the Dolphins. With 16 seconds remaining, O'Conner went to the line with a chance to extend the lead and missed both free throws, only to have Foley snatch the board and draw a foul of her own. Foley missed her two, leading to O'Conner's crucial rebound.
Following one of two by O'Connor, the Lightning had a chance to at least tie the game, but Amanda De La Cruz's pass was intercepted by O'Connor to seal the outcome. That the Dolphins' senior was the one to steal the ball was only fitting as she led the way for Mount Saint Vincent with 21 points, including a huge three-pointer that tied the game at 57 with 1:43 to play.
On the evening the Lightning allowed the Dolphins to snatch 25 offensive rebounds, which overshadowed a swarming pressure defense that forced 34 Mount Saint Vincent turnovers.
Integral to that trapping defense was the Lightning's interchangeable backcourt of De La Cruz, Louvinia Hayes and Paula Robinson, who combined for 15 steals. Hayes, in particular, was a ball hawk. During one stretch mid way through the second half she nabbed a steal on four consecutive possessions. Hayes would finish as the Lightning's high scorer with 16 points but was not an option for Coach Harrison down the stretch having fouled out with 1:21 remaining in the game and the score tied at 57.
The first half was one of cold shooting by the Lightning as they converted on only 29.4% of their attempts and trailed 29-26 heading into the locker room. However, newcomer Jaleesa Gordon displayed flashes of the versatility that has Coach Harrison excited to add her to the team. Gordon scored from the low post, showed proficiency with both hands, stepped out to the three point line, and was a presence on the offensive and defensive glass in addition to blocking shots. She finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and one official block, though her presence was felt on more than one occasion. The lone black mark on her final scoresheet showed in the turnover column where she posted seven, the most crucial of which came on a traveling call with 21.7 seconds to go and the Lightning down two.
Its first game now in the books, Lehman travels to the College of New Jersey on Wednesday to battle the Lions.