NEWTON, Mass. – After taking an early lead, Mount Ida found themselves in a shot-for-shot battle against NAIA opponent Fisher College in women's basketball action on Thursday night. It was the visitors that were able to make the last shot, as a three-pointer with less than ten seconds left lifted Fisher to a 72-69 victory at Mount Ida College Athletic Center.
Falcons senior Porsha Grayson (Merced, Calif.), who led all scorers with 24 points, hit a triple from deep behind the three-point line in the waning seconds to pull Fisher from a 69-67 deficit to a one-point lead.
Freshman Angelique Martinez (Taunton, Mass.) led Mount Ida with 16 points and a game-high 18 rebounds. Martinez shot 50% from the field (8-16), as did the Mustangs in the second half.
Fisher (3-5) also got a productive night from senior guard Javana Bernard (Waterbury, Conn.), who had 21 points, six steals and a game-high eight assists. Bernard dished the ball to Grayson for her game-winning three-pointer, which capped a night in which the Falcons took 23 three-point attempts and hit three in each half.
Senior Abbey Fedigan (New Fairfield, Conn.) added 11 points, six rebounds, two steals, and five assists for the Mustangs, while junior Jenn Rafuse (Brockton, Mass.) added eight points and seven assists to go with 14 rebounds, helping Mount Ida to a 50-40 advantage on the boards.
Mount Ida (2-6) took a 7-0 lead and had as much as an eleven point advantage (22-11) to start the game.
Fisher, who trailed 31-26 at the break after shooting just 21% in the first half, shot 48.7% after the break and tied the game at 36 five minutes into the second half on a layup by Breanne Brown (Ft. Washington, Md.), who had six points, six rebounds and two steals.
The visitors took their first lead a minute later on a jump shot by Grayson, and the teams would exchange baskets for much of the rest of the game, as the lead was never more than five points for either team.
It was that margin for the Mustangs with 2:30 left when Kaitlyn Jesse (Marshfield, Mass.) hit a three-pointer to make it 65-60.
Alexis Akridge (Union, N.J.) made two of the next three baskets for the Falcons and then hit a free-throw to make it a one-point game at 68-67 Mustangs with fifteen seconds left.
Mount Ida freshman Stephanie Champoux (Tewksbury, Mass.), who had eight points in the game, hit one of two free-throws to pad the lead, but Porsha's fourth three-pointer of the night made her the hero for the Falcons.
The Mustangs made a pair of three-pointers in each half, led by Jesse, who has 2-for-4 from downtown in the game and poured in 15 points.
Freshman Marysa Dwyer (Quincy, Mass.) added a nice spark off the bench, scoring nine points on 4-for-4 shooting for the Mustangs.
Martinez also had three blocks in the game for the Green and White, while Grayson had three steals on the defensive end for the Falcons.
The Mustangs will finish the 2013 portion of their schedule on December 10th when they travel to Fitchburg for a 7:00 pm date with Fitchburg State.
Fisher returns home to play Sunday afternoon against Maine Presque Isle at noon.