STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. (Feb. 17, 2020) - In a defensive battle of wills, Mount St. Mary's women's basketball fought their way to a sixth straight win, defeating Wagner 67-52 Monday at Spiro Sports Center. 

Kendall Bresee led the Mount with 18 points, her second highest total of the season. The redshirt junior also added six rebounds, five assists and three steals. Michaela Harrison and Rebecca Lee reached double figures as well with 13 points each. Jatarrikah Settle led the team in rebounds with nine, followed by Lee with eight. 

The Mountaineers (16-9, 11-2 NEC) shot 39.2 percent from the floor, marking just the second time all year they emerged victorious shooting less than 40 percent. 10 of their 20 made shots came from long distance, compared to four for Wagner. 

The Seahawks (8-16, 4-9 NEC) received 15 points from Janelle Mullen and a game high 10 boards from Khaleah Edwards. 

Mount burst out of the gate with a 5-0 start, setting the tone for the entire game. The trio of Harrison, Lee and Bresee led the way to score the Mount's first 13 points, building a seven point lead and forcing a Seahawks timeout. A three from Aryna Taylor pushed the Mountaineer advantage to 10 - their largest of the half. 

Wagner closed the lead back down to seven by quarter's end. The home side stayed within arms reach of the visitors, pushing their deficit down to 26-22 midway through the second quarter, making the Mountaineers call timeout this time. The contest would stay within two possessions until the last play, when Lee sent in a layup at the buzzer to tally 10 points by halftime. Mount led after 20 minutes, 33-26. 

The third quarter started out stagnant for both sides, with no successful baskets in four minutes. Bresee broke the deadlock with a triple, leading to a 10-0 run. With 1:12 in the third, Mount held their largest lead at 16 points. 

Down 13 points with 10 minutes to go, Wagner rallied to keep the contest exciting. To the delight to the home crowd, they cut the lead down to eight at the 53-45 mark. It was Bridget Birkhead who stopped the bleeding , sinking a clutch trey with 4:41 remaining. The advantage would remain in double digits the rest of the way. Despite Mount's last field goal coming with three minutes left, they hit their free throws to complete the win and continue the winning streak.  

The Mount faces a tough test in NEC leader Robert Morris on Friday (Feb. 21). Tip-off is set for 4:30 p.m. from the brand new UPMC Events Center.