Riverdale, N.Y. – Behind career-highs from a pair of freshman, the College of Mount Saint Vincent Women's Basketball team closed the 2010-11 regular season with its fourth straight win after a 78-54 triumph over visiting Staten Island on Senior Night. Sarah Kluth (Lynbrook, N.Y.) poured in 25 points and Desiree Rosa (Dumont, N.J.) scored 19 for the Dolphins, while senior Kerry O'Connor (Bethpage, N.Y.) played in her 102nd career game.
Mount Saint Vincent opened a quick seven point lead in the opening stages of the contest and maintained an advantage until a Katelyn Hepworth bucket pushed Staten Island in front 16-15 with 11:50 to go before the half. Staten Island would move in front by as many as six points after a Hepworth three-point play with 7:05 left in the half, before heading to the intermission with a slim 31-29 advantage.
Both teams struggled from the floor in the first half, as neither shot better then 30-percent. Staten Island went just 11-for-42 in the first stanza, while Mount Saint Vincent converted just 11 of its 37 chances. Hepworth led all scorers on the break with 15 points for Staten Island, while Kluth led the Mount with 13 tallies.
The home standing Dolphins opened the second half with back-to-back three pointers from Rosa to gain a lead they would not give back the rest of the evening. Kluth pushed the Dolphins in front by ten with a triple at the 16:44 mark of the period and a Brittany Griffin (Suffern, N.Y.) bucket gave the Mount its largest lead of the game at 25 points with just under five minutes remaining.
Mount Saint Vincent shot an even 50-percent from the floor in the second half and converted five of its seven three-pointers for the game. Rosa scored 16 points after halftime and went 4-for-7 from behind the arc in the second half. For the game she finished 7-for-21 from the floor and 5-for-13 from long distance and also posted four rebounds and four steals.
Kluth nearly missed out on a triple-double for the Dolphins after registering 25 points, nine rebounds and nine steals. She finished the game 9-for-19 from the floor and also handed out six assists for the Mount. Andree DeLeon (Flushing, N.Y.) also posted double-figures on the night with 14 points and Kara McNish (Hawthorne, N.J.) pulled down a team-high 18 rebounds.
Staten Island was paced by Hepworth who finished the night with 17 points and 17 rebounds after going 7-for-21 from the floor. Allie Shanahan also collected a double-double with 15 points and a game-high 20 rebounds, while Jaclyn Tocco secured 12 caroms
After not shooting better then 40-percent in a game for 13 straight contests in the middle stages of the season, the Dolphins closed the year shooting at least 40-percent in their last four contests; all four victories. On Wednesday, the Dolphins shot 40.3-percent from the floor and also forced 26 turnovers that led to 31 points.
The win on Wednesday closes Mount Saint Vincent's regular season with a 10-15 overall record.