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opening tip... Thursday's game between Mount St. Mary's and Rider marks the 21st meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 1983-84 season.
• The Broncs won the last meeting in the series 70-57 on Dec. 18, 2004.
• The Mount is 13-0 against Rider in Emmitsburg, including 10-0 at Knott Arena.
• The Mountaineers last win in the series was a 74-66 decision on Dec. 1, 2003 in Emmitsburg.
• The two teams played twice a year from 1993-97 when the Broncs were a member of the Northeast Conference. Mount St. Mary's was 11-2 in that stretch, including wins in the NEC Tournament in 1994, 1995 and 1997.

about the broncs... Rider comes into the contest 7-3 after defeating Fairleigh Dickinson 69-68 on Dec. 22. The Broncs are off to their best start since the 1977-78 season.
• Senior G Ali Heller gave Rider the victory against the Knights when she converted two free throws with 28.9 seconds left and finished the game with a team-high 14 points. Heller scored 24 points in a 66-56 win against Binghamton on Dec. 17.The senior ranks second on the team with 11.5 points and 1.4 rebounds per game.
• Freshman G Sironda Chambers added 13 points against Fairleigh Dickinson. The freshman registered a career-high 20 points in a 58-51 loss against Georgetown. Chambers ranks third on the squad with 9.0 points and 4.6 rebounds per game.
• Sophomore F MyNeisha McKenzie tallied six points and 15 rebounds against the Knights. The sophomore posted 23 points and 12 rebounds in a 66-57 loss against Penn on Nov. 19. McKenzie is averaging a double-double with 12.4 points and 10.1 rebounds per game.
• Senior G Alyssa Parsons scored 11 points in a 53-41 win against Stony Brook on Dec. 6. Parsons is averaging 4.1 points and 1.0 rebounds per game.
• Assistant coach John Miller, a 2006 graduate of the Mount and former assistant coach in Emmitsburg, is in his fifth season with Rider.

last time we met... Rider defeated Mount St. Mary's 70-57 on Dec. 18, 2004. LaToya Butler paced the Mount with 22 points and 10 rebounds while Dominique Mazzuchi added 11 points and seven rebounds. Becky Hower fueled the Broncs with 18 points while Kara Borel posted 17 points and Katie Hall chipped in 11 points.

quick hits on the west virginia game... West Virginia defeated Mount St. Mary's 94-32 on Dec. 20.
• Sophomore Ashley Christie paced the Mount with 10 points. The sophomore registered double figures for the second-straight game and is averaging 12.0 points in that stretch.
• Sophomore Jessie Kaufman added nine points off the bench. Kaufman has recorded nine points five times this season.
• The 94 points allowed marked only the second time under head coach Bryan Whitten the squad has given up 90 points in a game and the ninth time a team has posted over 80 points.
• The 32 points scored was the second fewest in Mount Division I history and marked the fourth time under Whitten the squad has been under 40 points in a game.

between christmas and new year... Mount St. Mary's has played 33 times between Dec. 25 and Dec. 31 in program history.
• The Mount is 14-19 during those calendar dates. The squad is 4-2 at home, 4-5 on the road and 6-12 in tournaments.
• The Mount will host Rider on Thursday and Bucknell on Saturday, marking only the third time the squad has hosted two games between the two December holidays. The Mountaineers also hosted a pair of games in 1995-96 and 2005-06.
• The first time Mount St. Mary's played between the two dates was the 1988-89 season, but it wasn't until the 1996-97 campaign the team started playing a contest between Dec. 25 and Dec. 31 every year.
• The Mountaineers are 3-4 under head coach Bryan Whitten in that span, including two wins last season in California.

next on tap... Mount St. Mary's will continue its three-game homestand against Bucknell on Saturday and then will conclude the homestand and non-conference play against Howard on Tuesday.
•  The Mount will restart NEC play at Fairleigh Dickinson (Jan. 7) and at Monmouth (Jan. 9).

a different kind of december... Mount St. Mary's is 3-1 in December.
• Prior to this season, the Mount was 1-17 in games before Christmas and 4-4 in contests after Dec. 25.
• The Mount won its first three games in December for the first time since 1998-99.

the view from the top... With its wins against Long Island (44-43, Dec. 3) and St. Francis (N.Y.) (70-48, Dec. 5), the Mountaineers are 2-0 in Northeast Conference play for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
• The Mountaineers are 2-0 in the NEC for the 12th time in program history. It marks only third time since the 2001-02 campaign the Mount has won its first two league games.
• Each time the squad won its opening league game, it went on to the participate in the NEC Tournament.
• When the squad opens the season 2-0, the Mount has won the NEC regular season six times.

in the nec... The Mount leads the Northeast Conference in 3-pointers made (6.10) while ranking fourth in scoring defense (58.6), fourth in 3-point field goal defense (.311). • Junior Sydney Henderson ranks second in minutes (35.20)

rock the knott... Mount St. Mary's has won its first four games of the season at Knott Arena for the first time since the 1997-98  season.
• It marks only the fifth time the squad has opened up by winning its first four games at Knott Arena.
• The squad has won the first five games at Knott Arena four times (1987-88, 1996-97, 1997-98).

at the knott... Junior Sydney Henderson is averaging 11.5 points and 5.0 rebounds per game in four home games this season.
• The junior registered 11 points against Long Island on Dec. 3 and 18 points against St. Francis (N.Y.) on Dec. 5.
• Sophomore Ashley Christie is averaging 9.3 points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
• Christie posted 16 points against Navy on Nov. 26 and 14 points against Loyola on Dec. 10.
• The Mount is averaging 56.2 points per game while allowing 47.5 points per game at Knott Arena. The squad is shooting 39.5 points per game away from the Mount.
• Mount St. Mary's is 4-0 this season at home.

in the last five... The Mount is 3-2 in its last five games and has won three of its last four contests.
• Junior Sydney Henderson posted 11 points against Long Island on Dec. 3 and 18 points against Long Island on Dec. 5 in that span.
• Sophomore Ashley Christie has registered consecutive 10-point performances after scoring 14 points against Loyola on Dec. 10 and 10 points at West Virginia on Dec. 20.
• Sophomore Kayla Grossett posted a season-high 13 points against Pittsburgh on Nov. 29 and senior Sandra Andresson had 10 points in that contest while junior Selina Mann recorded 10 points against Loyola.

defense is back baby... After struggling last season defensively, the Mount has returned to its defensive ways under head coach Bryan Whitten in 2011-12.
• The Mount is allowing 58.6 points per game this season after allowing 64.8 points per game last season.
• The Mount has held its opponent under 60 points seven times this season, including three times under 50 points.
• The Mountaineers have not allowed more than 58 points in a contest in five of their last six games..
• Mount St. Mary's is 5-2 when it keeps an opponent under 60 points this season and 4-0 when the opponents are held under 50 points.

second-chance points... Mount St. Mary's has been outrebounded in seven of the 10 games this season.
• The opponent has registered 116 second-chance points to the Mount's 75.
• The Mountaineers are 2-0 when it outrebounds an opponent with wins against UMES on Nov. 15 and against St. Francis (N.Y.) on Dec. 5. Mount St. Mary's held a 41-39 edge against the Hawks and a 28-24 margin against the Terriers. In those two games, the Mount has posted 28 second-chance points to 16.  
• The Mount ended the game against Pittsburgh with the same amount of boards (42).
• The game against Towson came down to rebounds. The Tigers outrebounded the Mount by 31 boards and held a 20-7 margin in second-chance points.
• Junior Selina Mann (4.5 rpg.) is the squad's top rebounder.

i'm a weekend kind of girl... Sophomore Ashley Christie is averaging 11.9 points per game in 16 games on the weekend.
• Christie is averaging 12.3 points per game in three weekend games this season. The sophomore posted a season-high 16 points against Navy on Nov. 26 and 14 points against Loyola on Dec. 10.
• The sophomore has posted double figures in eight of her last 10 Saturday games and is averaging 14.0 points per game in that stretch.
• Christie is averaging 12.7 points per game in nine weekend league games.
• The sophomore posted 10 of her 17 double-digit performances on the weekend. Those 10 games also represent her Top-10 performances.  

how sydney got her groove back… Junior Sydney Henderson is averaging 10.4 points per game in her last 11 games and has led the team in scoring five times in that stretch.
• Henderson posted 18 points against American on Nov. 18  and a career-high 20 points against Towson on Nov. 22. She also had 18 points against St. Francis (N.Y.) on Dec. 5.
• The junior has grabbed four rebounds in four of her last five games and is averaging 5.0 rebounds in that span.
• Henderson scored 17 points against Virginia in her only action last season before suffering a season-ending injury in the contest.

no cough in second year for kaufman... Sophomore Jessie Kaufman ranks second on the team with 7.6 points per game.
• Kaufman notched a career-high 19 points against UMES on Nov. 15.
• She has scored at least nine points five times this season
• The sophomore has five double-digit performances in her career.

career highlights... Freshman Mariah Powell scored a career-high nine points against St. Francis (N.Y.) on Dec. 5.
• Junior Sydney Henderson scored a career-high 20 points against Towson on Nov. 22.
• Sophomore Rachel Mathews had a career-high 10 points versus American on Nov. 18.
• Sophomore Jessie Kaufman notched a career-best 19 points against UMES on Nov. 15.
• Sophomore Kelly Guerriero had a career-high 13 points against Bingamton on Nov. 11.

man oh mann, selina... Mount St. Mary's can pretty much count on getting five from junior Selina Mann every game. The only question is will it be five points, five rebounds, five assists or five steals.
• This season, Mann has posted at a five spot in two categories four times and in four categories once this season.
• Mann has posted a five spot in one of those categories in 50 of the 64 games.
• The junior has posted a five spot in two of those categories 19 times, twice in three categories and three times in four different categories.
• She has scored five points 35 times in her career, including 17 two-digit performances and a career-high 26 at San Jose State on Dec. 29, 2010.
• The 5-4 guard has posted five rebounds 17 times in her career, including two 10-board performances.
• Mann has dished out five assists 15 times in her career including a career-high eight helpers against San Fransisco on Dec. 31, 2010 and against Towson on Nov. 22, 2011.
• The junior has registered five steals in a game six times in her career, including tying a program record with 10 thefts against Sacred Heart on Jan. 24, 2011. She also has eight games of four steal to her credit.
• Mann leads the team with three double-doubles. She has two points-rebounds tricks and one points-steals. She is only the third player in Mount Division I history with a double-double that includes steals. The junior recorded 10 points and 10 rebounds against American on Nov. 18.

the need to dial long distance for 1-2-3... The NCAA changed the three-point line for the 2011-12 women's basketball season to 20 feet, nine inches, which is the same distance men's basketball has been using for several years.
• Last season, the Mount led the Northeast Conference in 3-point field goal percentage (.355) and had three players rank in the Top-10 in the category.  
• The Mount is 61-for-189 this season from behind the arc, including 13-for-23 against Towson on Nov. 22. The 13 made 3-pointers tied a program record. The squad also hit 13 treys against North Carolina on Feb. 27, 1989.
• Junior Sydney Henderson leads the team with 17 baskets from behind the arc while sophomore Jessie Kaufman has 13.

in their collegiate debut... Freshman Mariah Powell was the lone freshman to make her collegiate debut in the season opener against Binghamton.
• Powell entered the game with 67 seconds left and registered her first career points on a pair of free throws with 52 seconds left and her first collegiate rebound with 19 ticks on the clock.
• Fellow freshmen Jen Carney and Melanie Mocniak  made their collegiate debut after entering the game against Pittsburgh with 1:50 left on Nov. 29.
• Carney notched her first collegiate basket in the second half against Long Island on Dec. 3 and finished with a career-high five points.

would the real jessie kaufman please stand up... There are now to Jessica Kaufman's in the Northeast Conference.
• Sophomore Jessie Kaufman is in her second season at the Mount while freshman Jessica Kaufman joined the St. Francis (N.Y.) team this season.

in the month... Mount St. Mary's is 108-91 in the month of December in program history. The Mount is 53-25 at home, 43-49 on the road and 12-17 at a neutral site in the month.
• The Mountaineers are 54-81 in December since switching to Division I in 1988-89. The team is 25-21 at Knott Arena, 20-45 on the road and 9-15 at a neutral site.
• Under head coach Bryan Whitten, the Mount is 8-21 overall, 3-5 at home, 5-14 on the road and 0-1 at a neutral site in the month.
• Mount St. Mary's played its first-ever contest in program history in the month of December, falling to Loyola 60-31 on Dec. 4, 1974.

in the non-conference slate... Mount St. Mary's is 78-120 in non-conference games since joining the Northeast Conference in 1989-90.

home sweet home... In its 25th season at Knott Arena, Mount St. Mary's has posted a 212-103 overall mark, including 71-43 in non-conference play and 141-60 in league play since moving across Route 15 from Memorial Gym.

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 247 victories.
• The Mount has the third-most wins in league history, trailing only Monmouth (264) and Saint Francis (Pa.) (272).
• The Mount is 248-142 in Northeast Conference play, including 141-58 at Knott Arena and 107-83 on the road.

hearing your name called at the start... Head coach Bryan Whitten has only had 19 players start in his four-year tenure at the Mount.
• Senior Sandra Andresson has started 86 of the 97 games she has played.
• Junior  Sydney Henderson started 25 of the 36 games she has played, including 17-straight games she has played.
• Junior Tara Lonergan has started 11 games in her career.
• Sophomore Ashley Christie has started the first 39 games of her collegiate career.
• Sophomores Jessie Kaufman and Rachel Mathews have started nine games while fellow Kayla Grossett has started two contests.

preseason poll... The Mount St. Mary's women's basketball team has been picked 11th in the Northeast Conference (NEC) Preseason Coaches Poll. Five of the 12 teams in the league garnered first place votes with Saint Francis (Pa.) being tabbed the preseason favorite after picking up four first place nods. Robert Morris, Long Island, Monmouth and Sacred Heart each picked up two first place votes apiece. The Colonials and Blackbirds placed 2-3 in the poll while the Hawks and Pioneers finished tied for fourth. Quinnipiac, Fairleigh Dickinson, Bryant, Central Connecticut State, Wagner, Mount St. Mary's and St. Francis (N.Y.) rounded out the 12-team poll.

let's play to 60 points... Mount St. Mary's is most successful under head coach Bryan Whitten when it scores 60 points in a game or holds the opponent under that total.
• The Mount is 25-21 when it scores 60 points in a game, but 19-57 when it does not reach 60 points.
• Defensively, the Mountaineers are 35-26 when the opponents are held under 60 points and 9-56 when the opponent reaches 60 points.

three keys to whitten success... The Mount is most successful under head coach Bryan Whitten when the squad leads at halftime, in rebounding or keeps the opponent under 60 points.
• The Mount is 35-16 when he holds the lead at halftime, 2-3 when the game is tied, but just 8-63 when trailing at the break.
• The squad is 20-16 when it holds a rebounding edge in a game, but just 23-61 when the opponent has the advantage and 2-5 when the two teams have equal boards.
• Mount St. Mary's is 35-26 when it holds opponents under 60 points.

hitting 20 points in a game... Senior Sandra Andresson, juniors Sydney Henderson and Selina Mann and sophomore Ashley Christie are the only four players on the roster that has scored 20 points in a game.
• Henderson became the first player this season to reach 20 points when she scored a career-best 20 points against Towson on Nov. 22.
• Mann scored a career-high 26 points against San Jose State on Dec. 29, 2010.
• Christie posted a career-high 21 points against Fairleigh Dickinson on Feb. 5, 2011.
• Andresson registered a career-best 25 points against Monmouth on Feb. 7, 2011.
• The Mount has registered 25 20-point performances and two 30-point games under head coach Bryan Whitten. The squad is 13-12 when a player reaches 20 points and 2-0 when a player scores 30 in a contest.

players on the move... Senior Sandra Andresson ranks 45th with 614 career points She can move into 44th place with two points, 43rd place with seven points and 42nd place with 65 points.
• Junior Selina Mann has 399 points for her career to rank 62nd and can move into 61st place with 21 points.
• Sophomore Ashley Christie has 351 points to rank 63rd in program history. The sophomore needs 59 points for 400 in her career.
• Junior Sydney Henderson has 256 career points to sit in 76th place. Henderson can move into 75th place with 19 points and 74th place with 24 points.
• Sophomore Jessie Kaufman ranks 82nd with 204 career points. She can move into 81st place with 15 points and 80th place with 17 points.
• Sophomore Kayla Grossett ranks 86th place with 186 points. She can move into 85th place with seven points, 84th place with nine points, 83rd place with 11 points and 82nd place with 18 points.
• Junior Tara Lonergan sits in 88th place with 183 points  and she can jump into 86th place with three points, 85th place with 11 points, 84th place with 14 points and 83rd place with 21 points.
• Sophomore Kelly Guerriero (130 points) will be the next players to crack the program's Top-100, needing 14 points.

new to the mountain... Head coach Bryan Whitten added four players to his 2011-12 team. Freshmen Jen Carney, Melanie Mocniak, Mariah Powell and Lindsay Williams all joined the team this season.
• Sophomore Jacqueline Brewer also joined the team, but will have to sit out this season due to NCAA transfer regulations. Brewer comes to the Mount after playing at Virginia Commonwealth last year.

northeast conference history... Prior to the last two seasons, the Mount had advanced to 20-straight NEC Tournaments.
• 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.

the underlining whit... Head coach Bryan Whitten is in his fifth season at the Mount. The Mount is 45-82 overall under Whitten.
• The Mount is 23-35 overall at Knott Arena and 15-23 in NEC play under Whitten.
• The Mountaineers on the road are 22-47  overall mark away from Emmitsburg and 11-22 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.
• Whitten earned his 250th win of his career against Quinnipiac on Jan. 30, 2010.

foreign flavor... Mount St. Mary's has two international players on the roster in 2011-12.
• Senior Sandra Andresson (Estonia) became the fourth international player in Emmitsburg and sophomore Kayla Grossett (Canada) became the fifth international player at the Mount.
• The trio follows Katie Walton (Canada, 1998-02), Dita Krumberga (Latvia, 2004-07), and Leah Westbrooks (Ireland, 2007-11.

out of africa... Former women's basketball player Leah Westbrooks was named the recipient of the Shooting Touch Inc. Sabbatical Program grant.
• Westbrooks received $25,000 to help with travel cost and expenses on her 10-month international independent study in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Westbrooks is currently in South Africa to work with the Hoops for Hope group and Western Zimbabwe with the Matilda Project.
• Check out this video of Westbrooks: http://www.nba.com/video/channels/nba_tv/2011/09/24/20110924_shooting_touch.nba