CHEROKEE, N.C. (December 22, 2022) – Mount St. Mary's women's basketball surrendered some second half rallies and found themselves unable to overcome the hole, falling to the East Tennessee State Buccaneers 75-62.
 
The loss drops the Mount to 5-6 on the year and wraps up the non-conference season with a mark of 4-5. The team will have to keep searching for their first win away from Knott Arena.
 
Efficient scoring was not enough to deter the defeat. The Mount shot 43.1 percent to ETSU's 41.8, but found issues in the fourth quarter, going 4-of-12 from the field. Rebounding and second chance points were a constant thorn in the side – the Bucs cleaned the glass for 22 offensive boards, resulting in 26 of their 75 points.
 
Jo Raflo led the way for the Mountaineers with 13 points and was one of five players to post double figures on the squad. Michaela Harrison added 11 more, and three players tallied 10, including Carissa Dunham who set a new career high. Jessica Tomasetti added five rebounds, and Natalie Villaflor contributed four assists.
 
ETSU saw a 23-point effort from Jiselle Thomas and a double-double of 11 points and rebounds from Jayla Ruffus-Millner. The Bucs bump their record to 12-3 this season.
 
Much of the first quarter belonged to the Mount. A pair of treys from Raflo helped boost a 10-3 lead across the opening five minutes. ETSU continued to crash the boards and earn second chances and fouls, making a steady comeback effort. Each side hit key shots and the Buccaneers hit five of their eight at the line to pull the contest to 16-14 after one.
 
Mount was able to hang on to the lead for two and a half minutes in the second until ETSU flipped the script with a three from Thomas. The Bucs had the upper hand for the rest of the half, with the lone exception of a tying jumper from Dunham at the 2:56 mark. Thomas connected on two more buckets as the half closed, and ETSU took a 34-31 score into the break.
 
Rallying to start the half, Mount St. Mary's saw Tomasetti score twice to match the Bucs, and Isabella Hunt giving the Mount the lead at the charity stripe. Proceedings played out even up to the 50-50 mark, when Thomas found paydirt again with 2:13 remaining. The basket sparked a 7-0 run to end the quarter.
 
The closest the Mount would get in the fourth period was 59-55 thanks to a layup from Hunt with 8:30 left. An ensuing triple from ETSU's Kendall Foley and crucial foul shots were enough for the Bucs to pull away.
 
Mount St. Mary's returns home for a Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference game with Fairfield next Thursday (Dec. 29). Tip-off is 1 p.m. from Knott Arena.