Mt. St. Vincent Rallies to Top Women's Basketball 63-53

Written by Joshua Soto (SJC-LI Sports Information)

Riverdale, NY| A fourth quarter push by the Dolphins proved to be too much for the St. Joseph's College women's basketball team (3-8; 1-2 Skyline), who dropped a 63-53 decision at the Sharp Center on Monday afternoon. With the win Mount St. Vincent improve to 7-6 on the year and 4-3 in the Skyline Conference.

The two sides traded baskets early on in the first quarter unti Michelle Lupoli help the Golden Eagles build a 15-9 lead after knocking down back-to-back jumpers. Jackie Zizzo would make a pair of free throws late in the fame to close out the first quarter with a 17-11 lead.

The Golden Eagles opened up the second quarter with an 11-4 run and extended their lead to 28-15. Mount St. Mary cut their deficit to nine (30-21) with a layup by Kaitlin McGeown before the two teams continued to trade possession in the last minute. SJC would maitain a 30-21 lead heading into the break.

The second half started with the Golden Eagles controlling the momentum before pulling away with an 11-point lead (39-27) with less than five minutes to play in the quarter. St. Joseph's closed out the third quarter with a commanding 46-38 lead.

The Dolphins came out the gates with the hot hand in the fourth quarter, sparking an 11-3 run to tie the game at 49. The guests continued to fight for the lead, but the Golden Eagles saw their last lead of the night (52-51) in the third minute. Mount St. Vincent's held SJC to just two points in the last three minutes as it ran away with a 12-2 run.  The strong fourth quarter proved too much for the Golden Eagles as they fell to the Dolphins 63-53.

Andrea Iavarone led the team with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Rynese Smith added 11 points and four boards.

The Golden Eagles will return to action on the road, taking on cross-town rivals St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn on Thursday, January 7th at 5:30 PM.