Box Score EMMITSBURG, Md. (January 7, 2023) – Scoring 28 points in the third quarter alone, Mount St. Mary's women's basketball pulled away from the Rider Broncs Saturday afternoon. The 74-52 victory ended a three-game slide for the Mountaineers, improving their record to 6-8 (2-3 MAAC).
 
Jo Raflo led the charge on offense for the Mount. Going 8-for-15 from the floor, the sophomore posted a career high 20 points. Isabella Hunt limited Rider's opportunities with 14 rebounds, also a career best. Michaela Harrison hit a pair of triples to reach 300 for her career, the first Mount women's player to eclipse the milestone. The graduate student also set the school record for games played at 128.
 
Mount St. Mary's made the most of the offensive end by shooting 54.5 percent (30-57) and 44.4 percent (12-27) from downtown. Both serve as the second highest totals for the team this season. Saturday was also the second game where the Mount had a positive rebounding margin, grabbing 37 boards to Rider's 31. The 28 third quarter points were the most of any 10-minute period for the team this year and back to November 2021 when they posted 29 in a quarter against Valley Forge.
 
Leading scorer Makayla Firebaugh paced Rider with 16, one of two players on their side to reach double figures. The Broncs' record drops to 4-11 (1-5 MAAC).
 
The Mountaineers scored on their first three possessions, building a 7-2 lead. But the trail turned cold for most of the quarter after that. Carissa Dunham hit a trey at the halfway point for a 10-6 advantage, but Rider rallied with several threes of their own to earn a share of the lead.
 
Raflo's run of scoring began late in the first period – a personal 7-0 run that planted the game back in the Mount's favor at the 19-18 mark. Rider's offense fell silent for more than eight minutes and while the home side took awhile to get their footing, they still made a steady 12-0 run to start the process of pulling away. Great defense, including box outs and one-and-done possessions for the Broncs, sparked the run.
 
With the Mount up 29-23 at half, it appeared Rider might make a run as Jessika Schiffer nailed a triple to cut the game down to three. This turned out to be mirage and the Mountaineers compiled a 15-0 outburst. The trio of Raflo, Harrison and Jessica Tomasetti seemed unable to miss during the barrage as the lead grew to 44-26. By quarter's end the Mount was up 22, punctuated by a three-pointer from Aryna Taylor.
 
The result secure, both teams coasted to a 17-17 score in the final period. As the seconds ticked away, junior forward Isabella Pelaia electrified the bench with her second career three-pointer, serving as the exclamation point to the triumph.
 
Mount St. Mary's travels to Iona this Thursday (Jan. 12). The contest serves as the first-ever meeting between the Mountaineers and the Gaels.