Box Score NORFOLK, Va. (December 20, 2019) – Looking to end a three-game skid, Mount St. Mary's women's basketball got a strong performance from junior guard Jatarrikah Settle. Settle finished with a career high in points (23) and added 14 rebounds to lead the Mountaineers to a 75-67 victory over the Richmond Spiders at day two of the Anne Donovan Classic. Michaela Harrison (14), Rebecca Lee (11), and Aryna Taylor (11) all finished in double figures. Lee also added 9 boards to her 11 points. Claire Holt finished with 17 for the Spiders.
After a back and forth first quarter, the Mount was down 18-13 after one. The second quarter is where the Mountaineers seemed to find themselves as Lee chipped in seven of their 17 points. Maqui Carrillo Ade jumped in on the action with a key block and then a layup to spark a 5-0 Mount run. After the Spiders led for 13:27 of the first half, Mount St. Mary's took a 30-29 lead into halftime. Contrary to last night, a key first half stat was points off turnovers as the Mount led that category 9-4. They also outrebounded the Spiders 28-17 in the first two frames.
Bridget Birkhead ignited the Mountaineers out of the gate in the third quarter with back-to-back three-point balls. Settle added two layups and a 10-0 run had the Mount up 40-31 early in the third. After Richmond creeped back into the game, Harrison rattled home a three to extend the Mountaineers' lead back to six. Taylor followed up Harrison with five straight points of her own. Mount St. Mary's took a 50-41 lead into the final frame.
After the Mountaineers took an eleven-point lead, the Spiders would not go away and a three from Kate Klimkiewicz had the Mount lead cut to 54-51 with eight minutes remaining. This is where Settle took over. The Maryland native would score the Mount's next eight points, two of which came off of and-1 opportunities. She added another layup to give the Mount a 12-point lead with just over a minute to play. Free throws from Harrison and Kendall Bresee secured the victory and ended the Mountaineer's 3-game losing streak.
The Mountaineers held a 47-35 rebounding advantage and a 23-13 advantage in points off turnovers. 14 second chance points proved to be pivotal in the Mount's first victory over Richmond since January 9th, 1986.
Mount St. Mary's women's basketball will be up against their toughest test yet when they face off with host Old Dominion on the final day of the Anne Donovan Classic. The Lady Monarchs are 2-0 after the first two days with both wins by 20+ points. Tip-off from Chartway Arena is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday.
