EMMITSBURG, Md. (February 28, 2021) – Mount St. Mary's women's basketball secured its eighth consecutive – and their most important – victory of the season, defeating Saint Francis U 71-55 at Knott Arena on Sunday. The win clinched a berth in the Northeast Conference tournament for the third year in a row.

Kendall Bresee led the charge again for the Mountaineers (14-3, 13-2 NEC), scoring a career-high 29 points and trying a career best with 10 field goals. Her five treys were a season high, and she led the game in assists with seven. Rebecca Lee pulled in a season-high 14 rebounds, and finished the contest with her third double-double of the campaign. Michaela Harrison reached double figures with 16 points.

Saint Francis U (12-7, 10-3 NEC) received a boost from Karson Swogger and her 18 point and five assists. Jada Dapaa added eight points and nine rebounds.

Before the game began, the team's four seniors received recognition. Along with Bresee and Lee, Bridget Birkhead and Kayla Agentowicz were honored. Harrison was also acknowledged for becoming the 28th player in the Mount's history to score 1,000 points. 

In the early going, the game favored the visiting Red Flash. They defended the three-point line, holding the Mount to one triple in the first quarter. After a couple of lead changes, a layup by Lee and a jumper from Harrison gave the Mount a three point advantage.

The second quarter was all Mount St. Mary's. Bresee hit a trey two minutes into the period, sparking a huge run. Less than two minutes of game time later, a three point edge turned into a comfortable 12 point cushion. Defense continued to keep SFU scoreless as the run climb up to 18-0, giving the Mount a 33-14 lead.

With that advantage increased to 24, a pivotal moment boosted the Red Flash. Lili Benzel drew a foul and converted her free throws. Then Bresee had an easy layup spin out, and SFU capitalized with a jumper by Jenna Mastellone. The lead was still 20 points, but the transpiring events provided much needed momentum for Saint Francis U.

Swogger was the key instigator in the Red Flash's rally. After a short period with neither team converting shots, the SFU senior broke the ice with a four-point play. Combined with their efforts before halftime, the visitors went on a 10-0 run until Harrison earned a fast break layup.

Undeterred, Saint Francis U continued to chip away at the Mount's lead. Layups by Dapaa and more foul shots from Swogger pushed the deficit down to eight. A three-point play by Bresee drove the lead back to double digits, but a miniature 4-0 run by the Red Flash erased it. At quarter's end, what was once a 42-18 rout had transformed into a 52-45 grudge match.

The Mount responded to the challenge in the final frame. Jessica Tomasetti got things started with a layup, and Bresee hit a jumper in the paint, but SFU hung around for a time. With the score 56-47 Mount with 7:14 left, it appeared that the Red Flash would get another jolt of momentum when Dapaa blocked Bresee on a layup. However, words were exchanged and the officials administered a technical foul to SFU.

What followed was a 7-0 run for the Mount. Saint Francis U was able to briefly retort, but with 3:17 left, Agentowicz – who had been bothered with foul trouble all game long – found pay dirt with a triple from the wing, pushing the lead back to 15. The visitors never pulled closer after that, and a couple key shots sealed the win.

The two teams meet tomorrow (March 1) at 6 p.m. in Loretto. A victory for the Mount would clinch the NEC regular season title, the program's first since the 2000-01 season.