Emmitsburg, Md. (February 11, 2023)--Mount St. Mary's closed the game on a 19-to-3 run to surge past Saint Peter's on Saturday afternoon at Knott Arena.
Natalie Villaflor led the Mount with 18 points and nine rebounds in the victory.
Leading 46-45 after three quarters of play, the Mount (10-13, 6-8 MAAC) saw Saint Peter's score the first seven points of the fourth quarter to take a 52-46 advantage with just over six minutes remaining.
Jessica Tomasetti started the Mount's comeback with a three-pointer from the left corner to slice the deficit in half. After the Peacocks hit 1-of-2 at the line for a 53-49 lead,
Isabella Hunt converted 1-of-2 with 3:14 left to make it 53-50. On the next possession,
Michaela Harrison drained a three-pointer with 2:45 on the clock to even the score at 53-53.
The Mount then forced a turnover on a bad pass to regain possession and Hunt put the Mount on top with a traditional three-point play with 2:23 on the clock. After a stop on the defensive end, Harrison converted a backdoor lay-up on a feed from Hunt that made it 58-53 with 1:31 left. From there, the Mount was able to salt away the victory at the free throw line, connecting on 7-of-8 charity tosses in the final minute.
Villaflor finished the game 7-of-13 from the field and 3-of-7 from three-point range en route to her 18-point effort. She added five offensive rebounds among her nine total for the game while also collecting three steals and a pair of assists. Tomasetti overcame a tough shooting day to finish with 12 points, six rebounds and five assists while
Aryna Taylor added 11 points, four boards, three assists and three steals off the bench. Hunt finished the contest with seven points and a team-high 10 rebounds in the win. Jada Leonard was the lone Saint Peter's player in double figures with 13 points.
The Peacocks (0-24, 0-15 MAAC) started the game quickly, jumping out to a 7-0 lead that eventually turned into a 20-16 lead at the end of the first quarter. The defenses took over in the second quarter as the two teams combined for just 17 points on 5-of-21 combined shooting. Saint Peter's wen to the locker room with a 28-25 lead.
The Mount got hot from beyond the arc in the third quarter, connecting on 5-of-12 from three-point range in the period. Hunt's putback in the closing seconds of the third quarter gave the Mountaineers a 46-45 advantage.
Mount St. Mary's tied a school record with 38 three-point attempts in the contest, finishing 12-of-38 (.316) from beyond the arc in the win. This is the third time in program history the Mount has made 38 three-point attempts, joining a game against Bryant on Feb. 20, 2021, and a matchup at Saint Francis U on Feb. 2, 2019. Five different Mountaineers made multiple three-pointers in the game with Taylor and Villaflor knocking down three each.
Overall, Mount St. Mary's shot 20-of-61 (.328) from the field while Saint Peter's was 19-of-43 (.442). The Peacocks converted 50.0 percent (8-of-16) from three-point range in the win, but were hampered by 18 turnovers and 21 Mount St. Mary's offensive boards.
The Mountaineers continue their three-game homestand against Quinnipiac on Thursday, February 16, at 7:00 p.m.
