EMMITSBURG, Md. (January 11, 2024) – Starting off strong on offense and finishing with a stout defensive stand, Mount St. Mary's women's basketball defeated a Quinnipiac team that came into Emmitsburg perfect facing the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC). The 56-50 victory gave the Mount its first conference win after getting a challenging start to league play, improving to 4-10 (1-4 MAAC) this season.
A balanced scoring attack kept the Bobcats at bay, led by
Jo Raflo with 16 points.
Jessica Tomasetti added 13, but the pair were only two of the eight Mountaineers registering points on the evening.
Isabella Hunt led the team in rebounds with seven, and four teammates shared top assist holder, including
Giana Hoddinott supplying a career-high three dimes.
Quinnipiac received a double-double from Ella O'Donnell and a solid performance off the bench from Ava Sollenne with three triples. The Bobcats fell to 6-7 (3-1 MAAC) on the year.
Sharing the rock throughout the first quarter, the Mount befuddled the Bobcats with a 20-point frame that saw six players score. Going 8-for-15 from the field, the home side recorded five assists to help them build an advantage of 12. Quinnipiac rallied within seven in the second quarter, but the Mount delivered a reply to lead 34-23 at the break.
Both sides were even to begin the third quarter and a
Jada Lee triple with 7:58 left matched the Mount's biggest edge at 14. Seeing their chance at remaining unbeaten slip away, Quinnipiac closed the gap to 10 before making a 7-0 run to get within one possession. Raflo supplied a clutch three to end the frame. From there, the Mount relied on their defense to hold off a Bobcats charge, keeping the visitors to three points over the opening six minutes of the fourth. Still as Quinnipiac got within four points the Mount needed a clutch shot, finding it with another Raflo trey at the 1:26 mark to punctuate the victory.
Mount St. Mary's is off from competition this Saturday (Jan. 13), returning next Thursday (Jan. 18) against Marist at Knott Arena.
