(Riverdale, NY) - As USMMA-Kings Point departs the Skyline Conference for the Landmark Conference at the end of the 2006-07 academic year, they will do so knowing that they will never, ever win a Skyline Conference Women's Basketball Championship. Mount Saint Vincent made sure of that on Tuesday night, in dramatic fashion, as a rally during the final minutes of the first overtime session gave the Dolphins a thrilling 63-58 win over the Mariners in front of one of the largest crowds to ever witness a Women's Basketball game at Mount Saint Vincent. The win improves the Mount to 17-9 overall and sends the fourth-seeded Dolphins to face top-seeded Mount Saint Mary for Thursday's Semifinal at Mount Saint Mary.

The game had all of the intensity that playoff action has to offer from the start as the first half featured four ties and two lead changes. A Courtney Heesemann (New Hyde Park, NY/New Hyde Park HS) lay-up with 1:31 remaining in the first half gave the Mount a 24-23 halftime lead, but every single one of the hundreds of people in attendance knew the lead was not safe as neither team was willing to give an inch, and it was clear that a memorable second half was about to occur.

And memorable it was as 11 ties and five lead changes later, USMMA found themselves up 52-49 with 51 seconds to play in regulation. But Mount Saint Vincent did not panic. A Kaitlin Burud (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook HS) jump shot with 42 seconds to play made it 52-51, and on the next play a Heesemann blocked shot put the ball in the hands of Karissa Koerner (Bay Shore, NY/Brentwood HS), who was immediately fouled with 19 seconds remaining. Koerner converted one of two free throw attempts, and the game was tied. Mount Saint Vincent actually had a chance to win in regulation as a USMMA turnover gave the Dolphins a final possession, but a Heesemann jumper fell just short as time expired, and the teams headed to overtime.

The overtime session was nothing short of a roller coaster ride for both teams. Mount Saint Vincent was put in a position to put the game away early as two immediate USMMA fouls put the Dolphins at the free throw line for four shots, all of which the Dolphins missed. The misses gave King's Point the momentum, and the Mariners scored four straight points to take a 56-52 lead with 3:08 to play. After a Burud jumper cut the lead to two, USMMA extended the advantage to 58-54 after two free throws with 2:28 left in the game. But thanks to a valiant defensive effort by the Mount, Kings Point would not score again, and Mount Saint Vincent ended the game on a 9-0 run to extended their season for at least two more days.

Another Burud jump shot made it 58-56 with 2:14 to play, and two Lauren Percodani (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph by the Sea) free throws tied the game a minute later as USMMA missed three field goal attempts during the one-minute span that could have put the game away. As the teams went back and forth during the final minute trying to gain the lead for good, USMMA freshman Brooke Picillo (Fort Wayne, IN/Dwenger) committed her seventh turnover of the game, giving Mount Saint Vincent one final possession with 22 seconds to play. As the Mount worked their offense with the clock ticking down, Percodani found freshman Ciara Clarke (Warwick, NY/Warwick HS) wide open, and Clarke drilled a three-pointer with 0:05 left in the game to bring the crowd to its feet and send the Mount to the next round. On the ensuing in-bounds, USMMA sophomore Kristen Hetsko (Killingworth, NY/Haddam-Killingworth HS) registered the 28th and final Kings Point turnover of the game, and a foul put Koerner at the free throw line. The freshman converted both attempts for the 63-58 final, and pandamonium broke loose as Mount Saint Vincent celebrated one of the biggest wins in the history of the program.

Overall, both teams shot 31% from the floor and each team grabbed 50 rebounds, but a 12 for 25 performance from the free throw line by Mount Saint Vincent allowed USMMA to overcome its sloppy play to force the overtime period. Kings Point's 28 turnovers led to 20 Mount Saint Vincent points, while 22 miscues led to 14 Mariners points.

But the statistics only tell half of the story as the Mount Saint Vincent victory was made possible by sheer grit and determination as much as the skill level of the team. Burud turned in a performance that can only be described as legendary. She notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and registered two assists, six steals, and a career-high three blocked shots. During 41 minutes of playing time, she dove, sprinted, jumped, and provided the type of leadership expected of a lone team captain. After starting the game 1 for 15 from the floor, Burud converted her last four shots to allow Mount Saint Vincent the chance to win.

Also for the Mount, Heesemann notched her ninth double-double of the 2006-07 season with 19 points and 10 rebounds to go with three steals and two assists, and Koerner scored 13 points and added seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Percodani also had a magnificant evening as she dished out 10 assists for her second career game with 10 assists or more. She also had six points, two blocked shots, and two steals.

Clarke, for her part, was the hero, scoring nine points on 3 for 4 shooting. After missing the first half of the season with a knee injury, Clarke's spark off of the bench has been a huge factor behind the Mount's late season success that led the Dolphins to the Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference (HVWAC) Regular Season and Tournament Championships, and four straight wins overall that has sent the Dolphins to the Skyline Semifinals.

With their first playoff victory in three years behind them, Mount Saint Vincent now has the task to heading to Mount Saint Mary and face a Blue Knight team that has never lost a Skyline Conference playoff game en route to eight straight Skyline Conference Championships. A win puts the Dolphins in their first ever Skyline Conference Championship and virtually assures the Mount of an ECAC Tournament bid should the NCAA Tournament elude them. Thursday's game begins at 7:00 p.m.