(Riverdale, NY) – When the smoke cleared and the game was finally over,
Laura Bucci (Irvington, NY/Our Lady of Victory) breathed a sigh of relief so strong it nearly brought the house down as much as the performance she had just exhibited. When the chips were down on Tuesday night and the Skyline Conference portion of Mount Saint Vincent's season was on the line, Bucci did what seniors are supposed to do … she turned in the performance of her career. And with a dramatic 65-64 win over Manhattanville, there is life in Riverdale once again, and a trip to the Skyline Conference post-season is not out of the question for the Mount Saint Vincent Women's Basketball team.
Bucci scored a season-high 16 points on 5 for 7 shooting (including a 4 for 5 effort from three-point range) and fellow seniors Lauren DeRosa (Hawthorne, NY/Westlake HS) and Meagan Fitzpatrick (Yonkers, NY/Our Lady of Victory) registered double-doubles to lead the Dolphins to their second Skyline Conference victory of the season. The Mount is now 4-11 overall, 2-7 in the Skyline Conference – good for seventh place. However, Mount Saint Vincent is one win behind Manhattanville in the standings with three conference games to play. Should the Dolphins continue to win and receive some help from others down the stretch, the playoffs are a possibility.
For Bucci, the performance could be a coming out party of sorts as it seems that her 2005-06 season has finally taken off. A favorite to challenge for first team All-Conference honors during her senior season, the 2005-06 campaign has brought with it a level of frustration as her usually trusty outside shooting touch has not been as sharp, and after leading the Skyline Conference in assists a year ago, her totals have decreased this season as the Mount has struggled to shoot for much of a season that began with a 3-11 record.
But Tuesday night was a different story for Bucci as her hot hand was present early during a game that had all of the makings of a classic from the opening tip-off. 12 days after Manhattanville defeated the Mount, 77-68 in overtime, the teams put on a run and gun exhibition from the start with six ties and three lead changes headlining the first half of play. Mount Saint Vincent enjoyed a 14-9 lead with 14:24 remaining in the first half, but Manhattanville (5-12, 3-4 Skyline Conference) battled back, leading 27-22 with 6:07 left in the half. The teams went back and forth for much of the final six minutes of the opening half, but a late 9-0 run by the Mount gave the Dolphins a 35-31 lead at halftime. Bucci scored 11 points during the first half of play.
The second half was nothing short of a roller coaster ride. Mount Saint Vincent led 51-41 with 13:03 remaining in the game, but Manhattanville rallied to cut the lead to two. The Dolphins then pulled away again and when Bucci hit a jump shot with 6:53 remaining, the Dolphins led 62-51 and seemed to be cruising to victory. But the Valiants came together yet again and went on a 13-1 run, ending with a Lauren Grenier jump shot to take a 64-63 lead with 1:08 remaining. While all of the momentum seemed to be on Manhattanville's side, Grenier's basket would be the final points of the game for the Valiants.
After a DeRosa foul gave the Valiants a chance to ice the game at the free throw line with just over one minute to play, Grenier missed the first free throw, but Manhattanville's Jessica Delagrange came up with the offensive rebound to give Manhattanville another possession. A Grenier turnover gave the Dolphins a chance to take the lead, and a pull-up jump shot by Andrea DiNizo (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Masters) with 51 seconds remaining in the game gave the Mount the 65-64 lead that would stand when the final buzzer sounded. Manhattanville's Kim Reznieck attempted to win the game for the Valiants in the closing seconds, but her shot was off, and DeRosa's 10th rebound of the game gave the Dolphins the ball and the dramatic win.
Overall, there were five lead changes and six ties during one of the most intense games the Skyline Conference has seen this season. Mount Saint Vincent outrebounded Manhattanville 43-35, but the Dolphins turned the ball over 22 times compared to Manhattanville's 16, allowing the Valiants to come back several times and keep the game close.
DiNizo finished the game with eight points, while Fitzpatrick added 12 points and 10 assists for her second double-double of the season. DeRosa registered her first double-double of the 2005-06 campaign with an 11-point, 10-rebound effort. Freshman Drew Gomes (Thomaston, CT/Thomaston HS) also had a big night as she added 12 points (eight of which came during the second half), seven rebounds, and four assists.
For Manhattanville, Rezineck finished with 17 points, while Grenier added 16 points and Delagrange scored 15 points in a losing effort.
Mount Saint Vincent has little time to celebrate their most dramatic win of the season as every game the rest of the way is a must win. Next up for the Mount is a trip to Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference (HVWAC) foe, St. Elizabeth, on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.
