(Riverdale, NY) - There is a reason why as a junior, Kaitlin Burud (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook HS) is the Mount Saint Vincent Women's Basketball Team Captain. In fact, she is the only Team Captain ... and rightfully so. When Head Coach Ed Ryder looked at the 2006-07 team and realized that an overwhelming majority of the roster would be freshmen, he chose Burud to be the Captain to provide leadership for a young team, keep the Dolphins motivated through thick and thin, and make big plays when big plays were needed. On Saturday afternoon against Skyline Conference arch-rival Manhattanville College, Burud did all three ... and Mount Saint Vincent is now 3-1.

Burud's sixth steal with 28 seconds remaining in the game sealed the Mount's win for their  Skyline Conference 2006-07 season opener as the Dolphins survived a furious second-half comeback by the Valiants to edge Manhattanville, 69-61 during a game played at Mount Saint Vincent. Mount Saint Vincent led 40-29 at halftime, and by as much as 17 points with 13:17 remaining in the game, but Manhattanville(1-4, 0-1 Skyline Conference) battled back and trailed 59-56 with 6:12 remaining. From there, the two teams went tit-for-tat as the clock wound down, but Manhattanville could never quite catch up. Mount Saint Vincent led 67-61 with 28 seconds remaining and were looking for a three-point shot to cut the deficit in half when Burud's steal led to a foul that put freshman Lauren Percodani (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph's by the Sea) at the line. Percodani converted both attempts for the 69-61 final.

Burud didn't only register six steals, she enjoyed a fantastic overall game that included a game-high 17 points and eight rebounds. More importantly, her leadership was paramount as Manhattanville mounted their desperate comeback as she kept the Mount focused enough to hold on for the win.

Mount Saint Vincent was also led by another stellar performance by freshman Courtney Heesemann (New Hyde Park, NY/New Hyde Park HS), who notched her second double-double of the week, and nearly had a triple-double. Heesemann scored 15 points, pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds, and registered a career-high eight steals during a terrific effort that included a 7 for 11 day at the free throw line. Also for the Mount, Percodani and freshman Karissa Koerner (Bay Shore, NY/Brentwood HS) each scored 14 points. Mount Saint Vincent shot only 33% from the floor, compared to Manhattanville's 39%, but won the game thanks to a 44-42 rebounding edge and a defensive effort that forced 33 Manhattanville turnovers.

Mount Saint Vincent returns to action on Wednesday, Dec. 6 when they host Centenary College at 6:00 p.m. The game will be the front end of doubleheader with the Mount Saint Vincent Men's Basketball team.