EMMITSBURG, Md. (December 7, 2022) – An all-around team effort, led in large measure by a career-high 18 points from Jo Raflo, helped Mount St. Mary's women's basketball soar over the Pittsburgh-Johnstown Mountain Cats by a score of 88-61.
 
Raflo – a sophomore from Gainesville, Virginia – was the most efficient player on a night the team shot 57.9 percent from the floor. Going 7-for-9 and a perfect 3-for-3 from beyond the arc to compile the 18 points, the guard now sits at an even eight points averaged per game through seven contests as a Mountaineer. On defense, Raflo added three rejections, securing every block for the team as well as a collegiate personal best.  
 
The Mount's record improves to 3-4 while Pitt-Johnstown stays at 4-3. Since they are a Division II program, the Mountain Cats exercised their right to have the contest classified as an exhibition.
 
Michaela Harrison moved to sixth place on the all-time scoring list by tying a game high 19 points, passing Susie Rowlyk. Along the way came six rebounds – a season and game best for the graduate student. Raflo and Harrison were two of five players to post 10 or more, joined by the rest of the starting cast. Natalie Villaflor added 13, followed by Jessica Tomasetti with 12 and Isabella Hunt with 10. Hunt, squaring off against the hometown team, came within one dime of a points-assists double-double, but the nine aides are good enough for a career high.
 
Freshman McKenzie Matheny and redshirt freshman Jaedyn Jamison also earned career highs in points. Matheny led all players off the bench, scoring seven of the group's 16 points.
 
Pitt-Johnstown received 19 points from Peyton Alazaus to match Harrison's total. Ashley Norling chipped in another 13 as the team posted a 42.6 shooting percentage.
 
The contest was by no means a foregone conclusion. Pitt-Johnstown managed to hang around and carry leads through the second quarter. After an 11-8 Mountain Cat lead, the Mountaineers pieced together a 13-2 run. A trey from Jasmine Lindsay-Huskey handed a comfortable nine-point advantage which proved to be anything but at the start of the second quarter. The visitors rallied with a 10-0 swing for a 25-24 lead with 7:59 left in the half.
 
From this point the Mount turned on the jets starting with a Villaflor triple assisted by Hunt. It was the start of a 26-point period, the most for any 10-minute stretch this season. Harrison led the team with eight points and was one of six Mountaineers to score. By the halftime horn, the home side built a sizeable cushion of 50-31.
 
For the vast majority of the second half, the Mount's edge bounced between 20-30 points. Villaflor served as the primary scorer in the third frame, posting eight points by shooting 3-for-4 from the floor. Hunt contributed four points, three assists and two rebounds in the same span. Pitt-Johnstown made a small rally and wound up outpacing the Mount on the scoreboard in the period, 18-17.
 
A quick 7-0 burst with buckets from Hunt, Raflo and Harrison sparked the final push to the buzzer. The last triple from Harrison gave the Mount its largest lead at 29 points. All starters rested after the final media timeout, allowing Carissa Dunham, Isabella Pelaia, Lindsay-Huskey, Matheny and Jamison increased floor experience.
 
Wrapping up a three-game homestand, Mount St. Mary's hosts UMBC Saturday (Dec. 10). Tip-off is 4 p.m. from Knott Arena.