NEWBURGH, N.Y. – The State University of New York at New Paltz women's basketball team (0-1) saw a three-point halftime lead evaporate on Tuesday evening at the Kaplan Center, as the Hawks dropped their 2011-12 season opener to Hudson Valley rival Mount Saint Mary College (1-0) by a count of 62-47 in non-conference action.

Jen Mocanu keyed the Knights with a game-high 26 points off 10-of-19 shooting from the floor and 6-of-9 shooting from the free-throw line, and she also chipped in six steals.

Neither team shot particularly well, as New Paltz shot 33.9 percent (19-of-56) from the floor, while Mount Saint Mary shot 37.3 percent (22-of-59). This defensive battle also saw the two teams combine for 55 turnovers. The Hawks controlled the glass, outrebounding the Knights by a 50-33 edge.

New Paltz got in foul trouble early, putting Mount Saint Mary in the bonus at 11:39 of the first half and in the double bonus at 7:12 of the first half. While the two teams got to the line early and often, both struggled in the first half, as the Hawks shot 40 percent (4-of-10) from the charity stripe, while the Knights shot 38.5 percent from the line (5-of-13).

Neither team scored for the first 3:23 of the contest, with senior forward Shanay Bradley's (Bronx, N.Y./New Explorers) layup at 16:37 of the first half serving as the first points of the evening. The Hawks went on a 7-0 run that spanned just more than two minutes in duration, and senior guard Zoe Cohen (Brooklyn, N.Y./The Berkeley Carroll School) drained the final five points of that spurt to give New Paltz an 11-4 lead with 12:29 left to play in the first half.

Mount Saint Mary responded with a run of its own, going on an 8-1 tear behind the strength of six points from Mocanu. The Hawks swelled the lead back up to six at 19-13 off a made jumper by sophomore point guard Pippa Mansdorf (Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y./Hastings), and the two teams traded points until the halftime intermission. New Paltz took a 25-22 lead into the break.

While the Hawks controlled the momentum for much of the first half, the second half belonged almost entirely to the Knights.

Mount Saint Mary went on a 5-0 run to open the second half, and the margin stayed within one until senior point guard Kaitlin Clifford (Staten Island, N.Y./Curtis) pushed a Hawk lead to three (34-31) at 12:22 of the second half. The Knights, however, answered back with a 9-0 run, and Mocanu accounted for all nine points during that stretch. Mount Saint Mary continued to build upon that cushion as the half carried on, and Kristina Nieves gave the Knights their largest lead of the night with 25 seconds left off a layup.

Junior guards Kahsyrah Bryant (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) and Maliqua Fisher (North Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) tied for the team-high in points with 10 each to lead the Hawk attack, and Fisher nearly missed a double-double with a game-high nine rebounds. Freshman point guard Shannan Walker (Vestal, N.Y./Vestal) dished out four assists in her collegiate basketball debut, while sophomore forward Jeanette Scott (West Babylon, N.Y./North Babylon) had the team-high in steals with three.

Beyond Mocanu, Charneic McCullough and Amanda Horvers each collected nine points, and Kate Hartnett and Nieves tied for the team-high in rebounds with six apiece. McCullough's five assists proved to be the game-high.

New Paltz looks to pick up its first win of the season this weekend when it travels to Rochester, N.Y., for the Chuck Resler Tournament on the campus of the University of Rochester. The Hawks open the weekend on Friday, Nov. 18, at 6 p.m. against host Rochester.