New Haven, Conn. – Katlyn Jesse (Marshfield, Mass.) hit a half-court shot at the final buzzer to cap off a team-leading 18 point performance on Saturday afternoon, but it wasn't enough to send Mount Ida College past Albertus Magnus, as the Mustangs fell 66-59 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball action.
Senior Abbey Fedigan (New Fairfield, Conn.) added 17 points for the Mustangs on 6-11 shooting, including 2-2 from behind the three-point line.
Freshman Angelique Martinez (Taunton, Mass.) led all players with 17 rebounds, her seventh time this season grabbing 14 or more boards, and Jenn Rafuse (Brockton, Mass.) collected her sixth double-double of the season with a 13 rebound, 10 point performance.
Lianna Carrero (Hamden, Conn.) tallied 26 points, while Annie Sutila (Bridgeport, Conn.) added 12 to lead the Falcons (5-17, 2-6 GNAC) to victory.
Albertus jumped out to an early 15-8 lead on a Carrero three-pointer before extending its lead to 24-12 on an Annie Raucci (Milford, Conn.) jump shot.
The Falcons held a 30-17 lead at the half thanks to 14 points by Carrero. Both teams shot less than 30% from the field in the opening frame but the Falcons were 7-of-9 from the free-throw line and held the Mustangs to a 0-for-4 showing behind the arc.
The Falcons controlled most of the second half, taking their largest lead of the contest of 21 points with 12:50 to go on the clock, but a 26-12 rally by the Mustangs cut the deficit to with seven points with 1:03 left on the clock.
Fedigan hit a three-pointer in the final minute and Jesse hit a jumper before her desperation heave went, but the Falcons made six of their eight free-throws down the stretch to maintain their lead.
Martinez had seven points, a block, three assists, and a steal, while Rafuse led the Mustangs with four assists and she and Jesse had a pair of thefts.
Carrero finished the contest with 10 rebounds, all of which she grabbed on the defensive end, to go along with her 26 points. It was her second double-double of the season. Sutila hit 3 three-pointers and finished with 12 points for her seventh game in double figures this season.
Kelsey Pendagast (Shelton, Conn.) added eight points and two blocks for the Falcons before fouling out, while Raucci had eight points, two steals and seven rebounds for the Falcons.
The Mustangs (3-18, 0-7 GNAC) will return home for Tuesday night's contest, which will feature Mount Ida against their cross-town rivals from Lasell College. The tip-off for that game is set for 6:00 pm.
Albertus returns to action in one week when the Falcons travel to Northfield, Vt. to take on Norwich in GNAC action. That contest is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.