Box Score HACKENSACK, N.J. (February 1st, 2020) – Mount St. Mary's women's basketball (11-9, 6-2 NEC) used a strong fourth quarter to top Fairleigh Dickinson (7-12, 4-5 NEC) 69-61 on Saturday afternoon. Michaela Harrison (18), Jatarrikah Settle (13), and Kendall Bresee (11) all finished in double figures to help the Mountaineers get back in the win column.
Harrison had the Mountaineers in front right out of the gate with two early three-point balls to give them an early lead. After the first frame, the Mount found themselves up 14-12. The Mountaineer offense started to pick up in the second quarter with threes raining in from Aryna Taylor, Bridget Birkhead, and Michaela Harrison. Easy buckets in transition was also key for the Mount as they built a 38-33 lead at the break. Mount St. Mary's ended the half shooting 61% from the field and having a 14-7 advantage over the Knights in points off turnovers.
Out of the halftime break, the Knights ramped up their game a notch that flustered the Mountaineers and their offense. Fairleigh Dickinson's strong defense and points in the paint helped them tie the game back up at 38. The Knights ended the third frame on a 9-0 run to take a 49-46 lead into the last quarter of basketball. The Mount was outscored 16-8 in that third period.
The Mountaineers found themselves again the fourth quarter, and they were not getting on that bus to Sacred Heart without a victory here in New Jersey. After the Knights took a 53-50 lead, the Mount would go on a 12-0 run that included six consecutive made free throws from Taylor Addison, Bresee, and Settle to jump in front 62-53 with under five minutes to play. A three from Addison with 1:45 left would be the dagger into the Knights hearts as the Mount grinded out a 69-61 victory. The Mountaineers used a 23-12 fourth quarter to improve to 6-2 in Northeast Conference play.
The Mount will continue their four-game road trip at Sacred Heart on Monday, February 3rd. Tip-off is set for 7PM in Fairfield, Connecticut.
