EMMITSBURG, Md. (January 8, 2021) – Trailing by six at halftime, the Mount St. Mary's women's basketball team needed a spark to rally and sweep St. Francis Brooklyn. Once again they found it in senior Kendall Bresee, as well as clutch shots from Michaela Harrison and Aryna Taylor. The result was a 65-59 win over the Terriers.
 
Inhibited by foul trouble early, Bresee rose to the challenge in the second half. She finished with her second straight double-double, this time scoring 18 points with 11 rebounds. Taylor wound up with 14 points and Harrison added 13, each splashing home a trio of triples.
 
Rebecca Lee supplied a strong defensive performance with five blocks and four rebounds. The defense held the Terriers (1-5, 1-5 NEC) without a field goal for the final five minutes, 27 seconds of play, and to five points total in the third quarter.
 
"I'm so proud of the way the team pushed through." Head Coach Maria Marchesano said. "Every timeout, they were counting – six more minutes, four more minutes – just keep grinding out each possession. But we really locked in, and you could tell they were out of sorts and didn't know what to do. That's what closed the game for us."
 
The Mountaineers (3-2, 2-0 NEC) broke out to a quick eight point lead in the first seven minutes, but the Terriers rallied thanks to a 6-0 run. Playing out almost the same as yesterday, the two sides battled to an 18-17 Mount advantage after 10 minutes.
 
St. Francis Brooklyn used physical prowess to pull ahead in the second quarter. While the visiting Terriers matched the Mount in field goals made with six, they drew six fouls and nine free throws at the charity stripe. By converting seven of those, the Ramsen Street bunch reveled in a 38-32 lead at the break.
 
With Bresee well rested after sitting much of the second quarter in foul trouble, the Mountaineers pounced when the second half got underway. Two jumpers from the senior, as well as a layup from Taylor, swiftly leveled the contest. St. Francis stabilized out of the rally, and the game developed into a chess match into the fourth quarter – each side battling through multiple and slim margins, up to a 50-50 deadlock.
 
The Terriers enjoyed a hot shooting start in the fourth, making five out of six buckets. But the Mount countered with drawing fouls of their own, earning the bonus before committing a violation themselves. Following the 50-50 tie, the sides traded leads up to 57-56 Brooklyn. With 3:37 remaining, Lee drew a key foul on the Terriers' Ally Lassen. The key playmaker had to sit with four infractions, and Lee's foul shots were successful to flip the lead to 58-57.
 
Offense went quiet temporarily for both teams, with the Mount tacking on one foul shot for a two point lead. At the two minute mark, a St. Francis triple missed, and Taylor respond with a three, extending the edge to 62-57. The very next possession, a Harrison triple iced the contest and the sweep for the Mountaineers.
 
Mount St. Mary's will look to continue the momentum into next week's contests. Originally the Mount was scheduled to play Merrimack, but instead the team will travel to Sacred Heart for contests on the 14^th and 15^th of January. The two-game series was moved up two weeks to fill gaps in the teams' schedules. Both games will tip-off at noon.