Mount St. Mary's restarts its Northeast Conference season with the 45th meeting against Robert Morris dating back to the 1988-89 season.
►The Mount leads the series 32-12, including a 14-7 mark at the Sewall Center.
►Thanks to a last-second 3-pointer by Sandra Andresson, the Mountaineers ended a seven-game losing streak against the Colonials with a 57-56 win in Moon Township on Feb. 28, 2009.
►Robert Morris is 9-4 against Mount St. Mary's under head coach Sal Buscaglia. Prior to Buscaglia's arrival, the Mount held a 28-4 margin in the series.
►The Mount looks to win back-to-back games in the series for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

about the colonials... Robert Morris comes into the contest 6-6 overall and 1-0 in Northeast Conference play after falling 64-63 to Columbia on Wednesday on a last second 3-pointer.
►Senior G Angela Pace had 22 points against Columbia and leads the team with 15.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
►Junior G Kristine Silaraja added 12 points on Wednesday. The junior is second on the squad with 9.5 points and 2.7 rebounds per game.

last time we met... Sandra Andresson nailed a 3-pointer as time expired to lift Mount St. Mary's past Robert Morris 57-56 on Feb. 28, 2009. With the Colonials holding a 56-54 advantage with 0.9 seconds remaining, Hassanah Oliver threw the ball to Andresson at the left of the top of the key behind the 3-point line and then Andresson swooshed her shot from behind the arc for the game-winning shot. Andresson finished the game with 11 points while Brianna Gauthier (12 points), Leah Westbrooks (10 points) and Mary Dunn (10 points) also found double figures for the Mountaineers. Sade Logan paced the Colonials with 26 points while Destiny Harison added 10 points and Kendra Williams posted 11 points in the loss.

last time out... Twentieth-ranked Pittsburgh downed Mount St. Mary's 57-47 on Thursday. Freshman Cassie Cooke scored 19 of her career-high 24 points in the second half to help the Mount cut a 21-point deficit to single digits twice in the closing minutes of the contest.

home away from home... Mount St. Mary's will be playing its third contest in the Pittsburgh area this season on Sunday at Robert Morris.
►The Mount played Duquesne on Nov. 18 and Pittsburgh three days ago at the Petersen Events Center.
►The squad also traveled to Western Pennsylvania on Dec. 6 to battle Saint Francis (Pa.).
►Mount St. Mary's, who has only played three times at home this season, is 0-3 in Western Pennsylvania.

next on tap... The Mount concludes its program-record nine-game road trip at Quinnipiac on Jan. 7 and at Sacred Heart on Jan. 9.
►The squad then returns home for the first time in 46 days against St. Francis (N.Y.) on Jan. 14.

cooke doesn't need preseason... After only being with the team for 10 days, freshman Cassie Cooke scored a career-high 24 points against No. 20 Pittsburgh on Thursday.
►Cooke, who had her collegiate debut delayed after the game at George Washington was postponed due to the weather on Dec. 20, posted six points, three steals and two assists in her collegiate debut against Penn on Dec. 29.
►Cooke, a local product from Westminster, Md., registered 1,082 points, 564 rebounds, 373 assists and 336 steals in her high school career. She was the 2008 Carroll County Player of the Year. In addition, she also excelled on the soccer field as well after being named the Carroll County Player of the Year twice in that sport.
►The freshman becomes the third player to join the Mount's women's basketball team from Carroll County, joining Sandy Storey (Westminster, Md., 1987-87) and Rebecca Wike (Westminster, Md., 2001-05).

playing with the big teams... In the last two years under head coach Bryan Whitten, the Mount has battled two Atlantic Coast Conference teams and a Big East squad to within 10 points.
►Last season, the Mount lost 65-55 at Virginia on Dec. 21, 2008.
►The Mount lost to Virginia Tech 44-42 on Dec. 9 and fell to Pittsburgh 57-47 on Dec. 31.
►Mount St. Mary's held Virginia Tech to its lowest point total in a single half in program history after grabbing a 27-12 going into the locker room on Dec. 9. The 44 points allowed by the Mount were the fewest to an ACC school in team history and the two-point loss was the closest the Mountaineers have played an ACC opponent.
►The Mount rallied from a 21-point deficit against the Panthers to make it an eight-point game with 24 seconds remaining in the game.

on the road... Junior Mary Dunn leads the team with 12.0 points and 7.8 rebounds per game on the road this season. The junior has registered at least 10 points in six of the eight road games and at least 10 rebounds in three of the eight away games.
►The Mount is 3-5 away from Knott Arena this season.

in the last five... Junior Mary Dunn is averaging 11.6 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in her last five games. The junior has posted double figures in each of her last four games, including 18 points at Saint Francis (Pa.) on Dec. 6.

a new year, a new start... In January, the Mount is 213-78 and 128-70 since switching to Division I.
►The Mountaineers are 67-26 at home and 61-34 on the road.
►Once the New Year hits, the Mount has posted a 464-209 overall mark and a 263-138 since turning Division I in the last three months of the season.
►The Mount is 6-12 under head coach Bryan Whitten in the month.
►Mount St. Mary's is 4-6 at home and 2-6 on the road in the month under Whitten.

tops in the league... Mount St. Mary's has posted the most wins in the Northeast Conference since joining the league in 1989-90 with 235 victories.
►The Mount has the second-most wins in league history, trailing only Monmouth (241).
► The Mount is 235-120 in Northeast Conference play, including 131-49 at Knott Arena and 104-71 on the road.

northeast conference history... Mount St. Mary's has made 20-straight Northeast Conference Tournament appearances.
►The Mount has the longest current streak in the league for consecutive tournament appearance.
►Mount St. Mary's is 17-17 in the NEC Tournament.
►The Mountaineers have not won a tournament game since a 50-45 win against Sacred Heart on Mar. 4, 2001.
►Mount St. Mary's won tournaments in 1992-93, 1993-94 and 1994-95, including earning the league's first two NCAA Division I bids.

trying to hit the 60's... Mount St. Mary's is averaging 52.1 points per game, its lowest total since head coach Bryan Whitten's first season at the Mount in 2007-08 when the squad averaged 50.3 points per game in the first 10 contests.
►The Mount has posted two games above 60 points this season while the squad had three 60-point performances last season after nine games. Mount St. Mary's did not hit 60 points in Whitten's first season until the 16th game.
►The squad has only posted 20 60-point games of the 69 games under Whitten.

end of the streak at the free throw line... Senior Hassanah Oliver converted 27-straight free throws before she missed the front end of two charity tosses with 1:09 left in the second half against Pittsburgh on Dec. 31. In the streak, the senior went 3-for-3 against Colgate on Nov. 24, 8-for-8 against Lafayette on Nov. 30, 3-for-3 against Fairfield on Dec. 3, 6-for-6 against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Dec. 6, 5 of 5 at Penn on Dec. 29 and made her first two at the line against the Panthers. Oliver did not attempt a free throw against Loyola on Nov. 28 or against Virginia Tech on Dec. 9.
►It marks the longest streak since former teammate Dita Krumberga went 22-for-22 over a five-game span in 2004-05.
►Oliver ranks fifth in the NEC in free throw percentage (85.4).

mary's stepping up to get it done... Junior Mary Dunn leads the team with 11.1 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. Dunn ranks second in the NEC in field goal percentage (51.1), fifth in rebounding (7.4 rpg) and 14th in scoring (11.1 ppg.).
►Dunn has posted 10 points in seven of the first 11 games and has grabbed at least seven rebounds in six games this season.
►After posting a career-high 18 points twice in her first two seasons, the junior scored a career-best 21 points against Colgate on Nov. 24 and 18 points against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Dec. 6.

estonia doesn't know a sophomore jinx... After averaging 5.1 points per game in her freshman year, sophomore Sandra Andresson has jumped to 9.2 points per game to start 2009-10.
►Andresson has scored 10 points six times this season.
►The sophomore scored a career-high and notched her first collegiate double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds against Loyola on Nov. 28. She also matched her previous career best of 13 points against Canisius on Nov. 14 and against Lafayette on Nov. 30.

we will leave a light on for you... Mount St. Mary's is currently on a program record nine-game road trip that will span 46 days away from Emmitsburg (Nov. 28-Jan. 14).
►The squad will play five games in Pennsylvania (Lafayette [Nov. 30, W, 59-48], Saint Francis (Pa.) [Dec. 6], Penn [Dec. 29], Pittsburgh [Dec. 31] and Robert Morris [Jan. 3]), three in Connecticut (Fairfield [Dec. 3, L, 54-68], Quinnipiac [Jan. 7], Sacred Heart [Jan. 9]) and one game in Virginia (Virginia Tech [Dec. 9]) in the stretch.
►The Mount is currently 2-3 on the road trip.
►The previous longest road trip was seven games in 2004-05 when the squad went 1-6 in that span.

three keys to whitten success... The Mount is most successful under Whitten when the squad leads at halftime, in rebounding or keeps the opponent under 60 points.
►The Mount is 18-11 when he holds the lead at halftime, 2-0 when the game is tied, but just 6-34 when trailing at the break.
►The squad is 12-9 when it holds a rebounding edge in a game, but just 12-33 when the opponent has the advantage and 2-3 when the two teams have equal boards.
►Mount St. Mary's is 19-18 when it holds opponents under 60 points.
►The Mount is 4-4 this season when holding the opponents under 60 points.

twin towers on the move... Juniors Mary Dunn and Leah Westbrooks are a force on the inside and are starting to force their way into the Mount's record book.
►Dunn ranks sixth in career rebounding average (7.5) at the Mount while Westbrooks ranks 11th (6.7).
►Dunn ranks 10th in Mount Division I history with 12 career double-doubles.
►Westbrooks posted all six of her double-doubles last season and ranks 13th in Division I history.

howlin' mark on the mount record books... Junior Lauren Howell has inserted her name all of the Mount's 3-point record in her first three seasons in Emmitsburg.
►Ranks second in career 3-point percentage (.384).
►Ranks third for 3-pointers made (126). Next on the list is former teammate Brianna Gauthier (164, 2005-09)
►Ranks seventh in 3-point attempts (328). Next on the list is Adrienne Harris (337, 2000-04).
►Set an individual game record by going 7-for-7 at Wagner on Jan. 28, 2008.
►Posted the fourth most made 3-pointers in a single game, hitting seven treys twice at Wagner. Also holds the ninth-best mark with six made against St. Francis (N.Y.) on Jan. 7, 2008.
►Tied the NCAA Division I record with 14-straight 3-pointers in her freshman campaign.

a career day to write about... Junior Mary Dunn notched a career-high 21 points against Colgate on Nov. 24, surpassing her career best of 18 points accomplished twice in her first two seasons.
►Sophomore Sandra Andresson posted career-highs and her first collegiate double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds against Loyola on Nov. 28.
►Sophomore Courtney Nyce scored a career-high nine points against Duquesne on Nov. 18.
►Freshmen Tara Lonergan (six points) and Jamie Halloran (two points) each recorded career-high point totals against Duquesne.
►Freshman Sydney Henderson posted a career-high eight points in her collegiate debut against Colgate on Nov. 24.
►Freshman Selina Mann registered a career-best 11 points in the second half against Fairfield on Dec. 3.
►Freshman Cassie Cooke posted 24 points against Pittsburgh on Dec. 31.

as hazz goes, so does the mount... Mount St. Mary's is 19-14 when Hassanah Oliver scores double figures in her career.
►The Mount is 5-1 when the she registers at least 16 points.
►Oliver scored a career-high 23 points against Long Island on Feb. 9, 2009.
►The Mount is 10-5 when Oliver dishes out five assists in a game.

the underlining whit... Head coach Bryan Whitten enters his third season at the Mount in 2009-10. The Mount is 26-45 overall under Whitten.
►Whitten has defeated all 11 other teams in the NEC.
►The Mount is 11-22 overall at Knott Arena and 5-13 in NEC play under Whitten.
►The Mountaineers fair better on the road with a 15-21 overall mark away from Emmitsburg and 9-10 in league play.
►Whitten picked up his first Mount win with a 55-51 decision at Lafayette on Nov. 17, 2007 and earned his 25th career in at Lafayette on Nov. 30, 2009.

1,000-point scorer... Mount St. Mary's has had a player each the 1,000-point plateau in each of the last four seasons and five of the last six campaigns.
►Senior Hassanah Oliver is the closest Mount player to 1,000 points with 675 career points.
►Juniors Mary Dunn (661 points), Lauren Howell (494 points) and Leah Westbrooks (428 points) are next on the Mount's active point list.

hearing your name called at the start... Head coach Bryan Whitten has only had 12 players start in his tenure at the Mount.
►Junior Mary Dunn has started 71-straight games in her career.
►Senior Hassanah Oliver has started the last 48 games for Whitten and 68 of the 69 games played under the coach.
►Junior Leah Westbrooks started 52 games in her career and 40 of the last 41 games.
►Junior Lauren Howell has started 18 games in her career, including 15 out of the last 19.
►Sophomore Sandra Andresson has started 33 of the 41 games she has played.
►Sophomore Courtney Nyce and freshman Syd Henderson each earned their first starting nod of their career against Loyola on Nov. 28. Henderson has started the four games this season.
►Whitten has used three different lines in 2009-10 after using only two different lineups last season.

foreign flavor... Mount St. Mary's has two international players on the roster at the same time for the first time in program history.
►Junior Leah Westbrooks (Ireland) was the third international player at the Mount while sophomore Sandra Andresson (Estonia) became the fourth international player in Emmitsburg.
►The duo follows Katie Walton (Canada, 1998-02) and Dita Krumberga (Latvia, 2004-07).

collegiate debut... Freshmen Selina Mann and Jamie Halloran each made their collegiate debut against Canisius on Nov. 14.
►Mann posted five points, three steals, two rebounds and one assist in 20 minutes.
►Halloran grabbed one rebound in three minutes. The freshman notched her first career points at Duquesne on Nov. 18.
►Freshman Tara Lonergan made her collegiate debut against Duquesne on Nov. 18, finishing with six points, two rebounds and a steal.
►Freshman Sydney Henderson made her first collegiate appearance against Colgate on Nov. 24, posting eight points, two rebounds and a steal.
►Freshman Cassie Cooke made her collegiate debut against Penn on Dec. 29, registering six points, three steals and two assists.

new to the mountain... Head coach Bryan Whitten added four freshmen to his 2009-10 team. Jamie Halloran (Clarks Summit, Pa.), Sydney Henderson (Mechanicsville, Va.), Tara Lonergan (Rockville Centre, N.Y.) and Selina Mann (Gainesville, Va.) each joined the team this season.

new look coaching staff... Head coach Bryan Whitten revamped his coaching staff with the additions of Denise King, Jada Pierce and Lisa Steele.
►King comes to the Mount after serving as an assistant coach at at her alma mater, Rhode Island, for the last four years.
►Pierce joins the staff with 11 years of coaching experience. Pierce, who was an assistant coach at Massachusetts last season.
►Steele ended her four-year career at George Washington last season after registering 206 points and 107 rebounds with the Colonials.

preseason poll... The Mount St. Mary's women's basketball team has been selected to finish eighth, according to the NEC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Sacred Heart, the defending NEC regular season and tournament champion, was tabbed as the preseason favorite after picking up nine of the 12 first-place votes. Saint Francis (Pa.) earned two first-place nods to finish second while Central Connecticut State and Robert Morris rounded out the top-4 teams. The Colonials nabbed the final first-place vote. Quinnipiac, Fairleigh Dickinson, Monmouth, the Mount, Long Island, Bryant, Wagner and St. Francis (N.Y.) rounded out the 12-team field.

a record-setting defense in 2008-09... Mount St. Mary's established a new Mount Division I record after finishing last season holding opponents to 58.2 points per game.
►The Mount ranked 64th in NCAA Division I in scoring defense.
►It was the squad's best mark since the 1991-92 season when the squad helped opponents to 60.9 points per game and was the third-best mark in program history ranking behind the 1974-75 team's 46.0 points per game allowed and the 1975-76 squad's 56.0 points per game allowed.

going pro... Brianna Gauthier signed a professional contract to play in Sweeden with the Umea Comets.
►Gauthier was the first Mount player to sign a professional contract since Dita Krumberga in 2008.
►Whitten has coached four players that have played professionally.
►Gauthier is now an assistant coach at Norwich, joining former women's basketball assistant coach Mark Zacher.

home sweet home... The women's basketball team is one win away from its 200th victory at Knott Arena.
►In its 23rd season at Knott Arena, Mount St. Mary's has posted a 199-91 overall mark, including 72-41 in non-conference play and 127-49 in league play since moving across Route 15 from Memorial Gym.