(Farmingdale, NY) - It was a game so close to victory - a major, stunning upset victory - that second year Mount Saint Vincent Head Coach
Ed Ryder could literally taste it. After scoring huge wins over St. Joseph's (Brooklyn), Manhattanville, and Centenary, Ryder could feel the Mount's first, "we have arrived" win coming in a matter of seconds. Freshman
Lauren Percodani (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph by the Sea) hit a three-pointer with nine seconds remaining, Mount Saint Vincent took a 71-69 lead, and a major upset in the Skyline Conference appeared imminent. And while a dramatic, buzzer-beating jump-shot by Farmingdale State's superstar, Mercedes Miller, tied the score and forced an overtime session in which the host Rams dominated play en route to an 86-78 win, one thing was clear when the dust settled and the game was finally over ...
The Mount Saint Vincent Women's Basketball team truly has arrived.
Junior Kaitlin Burud (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook HS) notched her first double-double of the 2006-07 season with 16 points and 11 rebounds, freshmen Courtney Heesemann (New Hyde Park, NY/New Hyde Park HS) and Karissa Koerner (Bay Shore, NY/Brentwood HS) scored 18 points apiece, and Percodani enjoyed another stellar effort in the Dolphin back-court, but an incredible overall effort was just not enough against the 2006 Skyline Conference finalist. Despite starting three freshmen, a sophomore, and a junior, the Mount was not intimidated by a veteran Ram team as the Dolphins came out of the gate hot and led by as many as seven during the first half. However, Farmingdale State (5-0, 2-1 Skyline Conference) - who many consider to be a favorite to win the Skyline Conference Championship this season - battled back, and led 37-36 at halftime.
The second half was a classic as a Koerner three-pointer with 4:03 remaining in regulation put the Dolphins ahead 68-60. However, a 9-0 Ram run during a 3:07 span gave Farmingdale a 69-68 lead with 56 seconds remaining, and after two missed free throw attempts by the Mount with 49 seconds left, it appeared a heartbreaking loss for the Dolphins was about to unfold. Mount Saint Vincent was brought back to life by a Farmingdale State turnover with 18 seconds left to play, and the Dolphin offense set up a possible game-winning shot. Burud drove to the basket and spotted Percodani open in the corner, and the freshman calmly hit the biggest shot of her young career for the two-point lead that led to Miller's heroics for Farmingdale.
During the overtime, the teams went back and fourth for nearly four minutes, and a Burud basket with 1:04 left made it 79-78 Farmingdale. However, that was as close as the Mount would come as the Rams scored the game's final seven points, a three-pointer with 54 seconds remaining, and then hit four out of six free throws during the closing seconds to ice the win.
Despite the tough loss, Mount Saint Vincent can take solace in the fact that Heesemann, Koerner, and Percodani played big once again during a big game despite their youth. With the dynamic scoring ability of Heesemann and Koerner, and the maturity Percodani displayed during a five-point, eight-rebound, six-assist effort, it is clear that Mount Saint Vincent can play with the very best the Skyline Conference has to offer, and as Skyline Conference play continues into 2007, the Mount has the potential to be right in the mix. Before that happens, the Dolphins take to the court one more time in 2006, a Dec. 19 trip to face Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference (HVWAC) foe Yeshiva at 8:30 p.m.
