(Riverdale, NY) - Saturday's Women's Basketball game between Mount Saint Vincent and Old Westbury represented one of the biggest Skyline Conference match-ups of the 2006-07 season. With the Dolphins sitting in fifth place at 5-4 in conference play and the Panthers a game behind at 4-5, Saturday's matinee at Mount Saint Vincent could have meant either a shot at a post-season home game with a Mount Saint Vincent win, or a struggle just to make the post-season should the Mount be defeated. Old Westbury had already beaten Skyline Conference powerhouse Farmingdale State once, Manhattanville twice and had several solid games against some of the conference's premiere teams to prove that a Mount Saint Vincent win would not be an easy task. A Dolphin victory would take grit, determination, smart play, and ultimately two career-best performances as junior Kaitlin Burud (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook HS) and freshman Lauren Percodani (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph by the Sea) saw them play two of the finest games of their careers, and Mount Saint Vincent won its fourth straight game (all against Skyline Conference competition), 75-55 over Old Westbury to improve 10-6 overall and 6-4 in Skyline Conference play.

Mount Saint Vincent stormed out to a 10-2 lead during the first five minutes of play as four different Dolphins scored baskets during the stretch, but the Panthers went on an 8-2 run to make it a two-point game only two minutes later. The teams would go back and forth for much of the opening half, and with 2:13 remaining the Mount led 24-22. From there, the Dolphins scored seven of the final nine points of the first half to extend the lead to 31-24 after 20 minutes. Burud had 12 points and four rebounds during the first half, while Percodani added nine points and five assists during the opening stanza.

The second half saw Mount Saint Vincent extend the advantage to double-digits and never look back, although the half was not without a fair share of opportunities for Old Westbury (10-7, 4-6 Skyline Conference) to make a run. A Burud foul with five minutes left in the game and the Dolphins ahead 61-47 put the Mount's top three scorers (Burud, Karissa Koerner, Courtney Heesemann) on the bench with four fouls apiece, and the momentum appeared to be heading to the Panthers. However, Dolphin freshman Katie Hannon (Bronx, NY/St. Barnabas) made sure that a comeback would not happen. A Ciara Clarke (Warwick, NY/Warwick HS) rebound led to Hannon connecting on an open jumper to make it 63-47 with 4:41 remaining. After an Old Westbury basket, Hannon found herself open again and hit a three-pointer to make it 66-49, and from there the Panthers did not challenge. Hannon finished with nine points and three assists during one of her finest all-around games of the season.

But the story of the game was the inspired play of Burud and Percodani. Burud tied her career high with 26 points as she connected on 11 of her 16 field goal attempts, and she also grabbed 10 rebounds for her third double-double of the 2006-07 season. Burud previously scored 26 points during a 99-42 win over Yeshiva University on Jan. 31, 2006. Percodani had a double-double of her own with 13 points, a career-high 12 assists, and she also registered four steals and a career-high two blocked shots.

Also having big games for the Mount were freshman Courney Heesemann (New Hyde Park, NY/New Hyde Park HS), who scored 13 points and added five rebounds, and fellow freshman Karissa Koerner (Bay Shore, NY/Brentwood HS) added 12 points on 4 for 6 shooting.

Overall, Mount Saint Vincent shot 49% from the floor, including a 63% effort during the second half (15 for 24). The Dolphins also forced 27 Old Westbury turnovers while committing only 18, and they out-rebounded the Panthers 33-30.

Mount Saint Vincent has no time to rest as they return to the hardwood on Tuesday, Jan. 30 for a showdown with seven-time defending Skyline Conference champion Mount Saint Mary at 7:00 p.m. at Mount Saint Vincent. After losing eight straight meetings to the Blue Knights by an average margin of 31.6 points per game, the Dolphins lost to MSM 69-60 on Jan. 10. A Mount Saint Vincent win would give the Mount sole possession of fourth place in the Skyline Conference and put them in the driver's seat for a potential playoff home game.