NEWBURGH, N.Y. - Behind another strong defensive effort, the Mount Saint Mary College women's basketball team defeated Misericordia University, 51-39, in non-conference action on Monday night in the Kaplan Center.  The Knights improved to 15-7 overall, while the Cougars dropped to 10-11 overall.

A low-scoring affair in the early going, the teams were tied at 12 with six and a half minutes remaining in the first half.  From there, Mount Saint Mary closed the half on a 14-2 run and when a layup from sophomore Amanda Smith (Dayton, Ohio) banked in at the buzzer, the Knights took a 26-14 advantage to the locker room.

Still leading by 11 four minutes into the second half, the Mount took total control with an 11-3 run.  Smith's three-pointer at the 11:13 mark gave the Mount a 40-21 cushion.

The Cougars closed to within 11 once again at the 8:38 mark, taking advantage of a three-pointer from senior Tyann McDaniel (Bellefonte, Pa.) and a pair of free throws from junior Lauren Smicherko (Old Forge, Pa.).  Smith answered with a pair of free throws and junior Rachel Perrone (Poughquag, N.Y.) hit back-to-back buckets as part of an 8-0 run that put the game away for good.

Perrone finished with a game-high 15 points on 7-of-12 from the field.  Sophomore Rottisha Lewis (Norwalk, Conn.) recorded a double-double with 12 points and 12 rebounds, and seven of her rebounds came at the offensive end.  Senior Becky Metzger (Point Pleasant, N.J.) also played well, recording five points, nine rebounds, four assists, and five steals.

McDaniel led the Cougars with 12 points.  Smicherko, the team's leading scorer entering the contest, was held to just seven points on 2-of-8 from the field.  The Cougars shot 34.1-percent for the game and committed 20 turnovers, which resulted in 18 Mount Saint Mary points.

The Knights face a tough task on the road at Baruch College later this week.  Ranked 30th in the national poll with a current record of 20-2, the Bearcats host the Mount at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday.