HAMDEN, Conn. - Quinnipiac downed Mount St. Mary's 77-65 in Northeast Conference (NEC) women's basketball action on Tuesday.

Senior Mary Dunn (Whippany, N.J./Morris Catholic) paced the Mount (3-10, 0-2 NEC) with 17 points and seven rebounds. Kayla Grossett (Toronto, Ontario/David and Mary Thompson C.I.) added a career-high 15 points and eight rebounds, and Tara Lonergan (Rockville Centre, N.Y./South Side) chipped in 12 points in the loss.

Courtney Kaminski fueled the Bobcats (5-8, 2-0 NEC) with 23 points and eight rebounds while Jacinda Dunbar registered 14 points and six rebounds.

The two teams battled back and forth until midway through the second half when Quinnipiac took the lead and went on for the victory to end a three-game losing streak against Mount St. Mary's.

With the game tied at 46, the Mount grabbed its last lead of the night at 48-46 on two free throws by Dunn at 13:40. Lailah Pratt then completed a traditional 3-point play at 12:12 to give the Bobcats the lead they would not relinquish at 49-48.

The Quinnipiac lead stayed between one and two possessions for the next four minutes. The Mountaineers cut the deficit to 60-57 with 7:11 on the clock, but Brittany McQuain and Jacki Mann then scored consecutive baskets to increase the Bobcat lead to seven points. Lonergan and Jacki Mann then traded baskets before Ashley Christie (Miamisburg, Ohio/Archbishop Alter) drilled a 3-pointer at 4:36 to trim the margin to 66-62. Mount St. Mary's could get no closer the rest of the way as Quinnipiac closed the game with an 11-3 run.

The first half was a seesaw battle that saw neither team being able to grab more than a four-point advantage in the stanza and ended with the Bobcats holding a 35-33 edge going into the locker room.

Mount St. Mary's grabbed an 11-8 lead at the 13:48 thanks to a 6-0 run to erase an 8-5 deficit. Selina Mann (Gainesville, Va./Battlefield) and Dunn each hit 1 of 2 from the free throw line before Lonergan and Sandra Andresson (Tallinn, Estonia/Audentes School) scored baskets to hand the Mount a three-point edge.

The Mountaineers grabbed a 27-24 advantage on a Grossett layup and two charity tosses by Dunn with 4:06 on the clock, but Quinnipiac closed the half on an 11-6 run to go into the break with the advantage.

Dunbar started the surge with a basket in the paint at 3:59 before Lisa Lebak nailed a 3-ball at 3:34 and Kaminiski hit a jumper at 2:56 for the Bobcats' largest lead of the frame at 31-27.

Dunn and Grossett answered with consecutive layups to tie the game at 31 only to see Kaminski convert two free throws and Warner nail a jumper to give Quinnipiac a 35-31 edge. Lonergan hit a jumper with 24 seconds left to bring the Mountaineers within two points going into the break.

Dunn now moves to within 33 points of becoming the 25th player in program history to reach 1,000 points in her career. Mount St. Mary's held the rebounding edge for the first time this season at 36-35. The Mount started the game with a 3-pointer for the seventh time this season. The squad is 0-7 when it starts the game with a basket from behind the arc.

Mount St. Mary's returns action against Robert Morris at Knott Arena for the squad's NEC home opener. Game time is 3:30 p.m. The game will be the Mount's 1,000th game in program history.