EMMITSBURG, Md. (January 23, 2021) – Mount St. Mary's transformed a comfortable 12 point halftime lead into a convincing 29 point victory Saturday, using a dominant second half to defeat the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils, 81-52.
 
Every single Mountaineer made an impact on the game, led by 16 points from Michaela Harrison. Senior Kayla Agentowicz chipped in 11 points with five rebounds, and Rebecca Lee came within two points and a rebound of a double-double.
 
The Mount (5-3, 4-1 NEC) shot 50 percent (36-72) from the field, and reached the 80-point threshold despite making just five triples. Offense was instead fed through the paint, with the Mount scoring 52 points in the lane. There were 16 steals that led to 22 fast break points – the most in a game since November 2019 against Frostburg State.
 
Central Connecticut (2-3, 2-3 NEC) was led by Emma McCamus and Anqelique Rodriguez, who each had nine.  Ashley Forker added eight rebounds.
 
CCSU only held the lead for one minute, after Forker's jumper gave them a 2-0 lead. The Mount responded with an 8-0 run, thanks to four points by Rebecca Lee. The advantage would grow as large as nine when Jada Lee drew a steal with a fast break layup.
 
Facing an 18 point deficit by the second quarter, the Blue Devils turned to Rodriguez, who came off the bench to add a spark. A senior who had yet to score this season, she sent home a pair of triples and launched a 12-2 run to close the gap to single digits. Layups by Rebecca Lee and Agentowicz drove the lead back up to 12 at halftime.
 
Both sides played even during the opening minutes of the second half before the Mountaineers pulled away. After Central Connecticut's Belle Lanpher hit free throws with 2:51 left, Mount's defense held the Blue Devils without a point for nearly a quarter's worth of game time.
 
In that span, the Mountaineers put up 22 unanswered points. The Mount's freshmen took up the mantle in the closing minutes to score 10 of the team's 15 points. Jessica Tomasetti led with four , and Isabella Pelaia scored her first college points on a floating jumper with 1:26 left.
 
The victory is the seventh straight for the Mount against CCSU, and it moves the team into sole possession of second place in the Northeast Conference. Mount St. Mary's will go for the sweep Sunday afternoon for another 2 p.m. tip-off. The contest will be the 100^th game at the Mount for head coach Maria Marchesano.