Riverdale, N.Y. – Playing its final game of the season against a non-conference opponent, the College of Mount Saint Vincent Women's Basketball team dropped a 79-61 decision to visiting Centenary on Monday. Freshman Kelly Fraser (Staten Island, N.Y.) scored a career-best 12 points, while senior Kara McNish (Hawthorne, N.J.) led the team with 14 points.
Fraser gave Mount Saint Vincent its only lead of the game at the 19:18 mark of the first half, before the visiting Cyclones went on a 24-6 run over a nine minute stretch to pull in front 24-8 with just over 10 minutes to play before the half.
The Dolphins would battle back in the period and after an Andrea Sinaly (Middle Village, N.Y.) jumper capped an 8-0 run, the Mount was back to within 28-22 with 3:21 remaining in the first half.
Mount Saint Vincent would score only two points the rest of the frame and saw the Cyclones close the half on a 15-2 run keyed by a pair of three-pointers and three free-throws from Colleen Collins. The second triple came as time expired in the first half, sending the visitors to the locker room with a 43-24 edge.
The Mount shot just 27.8-percent from the floor in the first half and converted just four of its nine free-throw chances. The Cyclones shot just under 39-percent, but excelled from the free-throw line after going 17-for-18 in the opening 20 minutes.
Centenary would not allow Mount Saint Vincent closer then 11 points in the second half, with their smallest advantage of the half coming after a Shannon Koch (Kings Park, N.Y.) three-pointer with 10:57 to go in regulation.
The Cyclones quickly expanded the lead out to 20 points after a 15-6 spurt which included back-to-back three-pointers from Jen Vasta and Collins. Centenary grabbed its largest lead of the night, at 22 points, twice in the final 2:36, before the Mount closed with four of the final six points to cut the disadvantage to the final 18 point margin.
McNish came off the bench for the Dolphins to lead the team in scoring on 6-for-12 shooting. She matched the game-high with 10 rebounds and also handed out four assists for the Dolphins. The double-double is the 19th of her career and the sixth in her last seven outings.
Fraser continued her strong recent play with a career-high in points after going 6-for-9 from the floor. She rounded out a strong all-around game with nine rebounds, a pair of assists, two steals and a game-high three blocked shots.
Sinaly and Amy Delva (Nanuet, N.Y.) each scored nine points for the Dolphins, with Sinaly posting a career-high 10 rebounds. Sarah Kluth (Lynbrook, N.Y.) matched the team-high on Monday with four assists.
The Dolphins shot 37.7-percent from the floor overall on the night, but struggled from the charity stripe after going 7-for-16. The Cyclones finished the night shooting just over 38-percent, but missed only one free-throw on the night and went 21-for-22.
The Cyclones were paced by 15 points from Collins, who finished the night 4-for-6 from behind the arc. Vasta scored 13 points and on a jumper with just over eight minutes to play she became the Cyclones' all-time leading scorer. She also handed out a game-high six assists.
The loss is the second straight for Mount Saint Vincent and its fifth in the last six games. The Dolphins now stand at 5-13 overall on the season heading into Wednesday's road game at Old Westbury. Tip-off with the Panthers is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.