(Riverdale, NY) - And the playoffs have begun for the Mount Saint Vincent Women's Basketball team. Entering Monday's showdown with Farmingdale State, the Mount found themselves in fourth place in the Skyline Conference standings, a firm two games ahead of fifth place USMMA-Kings Point, and only two games behind the visiting Rams. A Dolphin win over a Farmingdale State team that defeated the Mount in overtime in December would not only clinch a playoff home game, but also put Mount Saint Vincent in position to potentially overtake the Rams in the final standings. Roughly two hours later, the Mount's apparent cruise to a top-four finish was turned completely upside down as a commanding 86-70 Farmingdale win has the Mount in a position where every game from this point is a playoff game.
A Dolphin win this Wednesday when they travel to Old Westbury clinches the #4 seed and a home playoff game against a USMMA-Kings Point team that is 1-10 on the road. However, should the Mount lose on Wednesday and USMMA win their final two games, Kings Point and the Mount would finish the season tied in the standings and could mean that USMMA-Kings Point will host the Dolphins for next week's playoff opener, who are under .500 themselves away from home this season.
The opening minutes of Monday's game saw the potential for a classic as Farmingdale State (16-6, 11-4 Skyline Conference) opened up an 8-0 lead during the game's first three minutes, but Mount Saint Vincent battled back and went on a run of their own, outscoring the Rams 17-4 over an eight-minute span to take a 17-12 lead. However, Farmingdale responded with a 17-2 run of their own and led 30-19 with 4:28 remaining in the half, and the Rams would never look back. Farmingdale led 38-26 at halftime and led by as many as 26 points with 7:22 left in the game before a late Dolphin run cut the deficit to under 20 points. The difference on Monday was simply shooting as Farmingdale shot 51% for the game, including an incredible 61% during the second half, despite missing 14 of their 24 free throw attempts, while the Mount shot 37% from the floor, including a 31% effort during the first half. Otherwise, the game was a relatve wash as Mount Saint Vincent enjoyed a 48-44 rebounding edge and forced 22 Ram turnovers while commiting 25.
Despite the disappointing night, the game was not without its share of outstanding performances for the young Dolphin team. Freshman Karissa Koerner (Bay Shore, NY/Brentwood HS) scored a career-high 25 points on 9 for 17 shooting, while fellow freshman Courtney Heesemann (New Hyde Park, NY/New Hyde Park HS) registered her seventh double-double of the 2006-07 season with 21 points and 13 rebounds. Also enjoying a solid evening of play for the Dolphins was freshman Lauren Percodani (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph by the Sea), who scored eight points, grabbed six rebounds, dished out seven assists, and had four steals.
For Farmingdale State, junior Christine Daley (Elmont, NY/Elmont HS) scored 20 points on 8 for 10 shooting, while freshman Kimberly Blakney (Brooklyn, NY/Banneker HS) had 17 points, and senior Rochelle Clark (Bellport, NY/Bellport HS) had a game-high 10 assists and five rebounds.
Mount Saint Vincent's game with Old Westbury on Wednesday begins at 7:00 p.m., and from there the Mount will compete in the weekend's Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference (HVWAC) playoffs. The Dolphins will face the winner of the CNR-Yeshiva Quarterfinal on Saturday, Feb. 17 at either 6:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. at the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, New York.
