(Riverdale, NY) – 3,482 points, 1,633 rebounds, 752 assists, and 564 steals later, the four senior members of the Mount Saint Vincent Women's Basketball played in front of the home crowd one final time on Thursday night after nearly 100 career starts apiece. And while the result was the Mount's third straight loss, a 77-58 defeat to Centennial Conference powerhouse, Muhlenberg College, the mood was not dampened by the scoreboard as Senior Night saw all four members of the Class of 2006 shine. However, while the night was for the seniors, it was a rookie who stole the show.
Freshman Drew Gomes (Thomaston, CT/Thomaston HS) notched her first career double-double with a career-high 16 points and career-high 10 rebounds, and seniors Andrea DiNizo (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Masters), Laura Bucci (Irvington, NY/Our Lady of Victory), Meagan Fitzpatrick (Yonkers, NY/Our Lady of Victory), and Lauren DeRosa (Hawthrone, NY/Westlake HS) combined for 37 points and 27 rebounds during an outstanding effort against a 20-2 Mule team that is currently ranked 23rd in the nation and holds second place in the ultra-competitive Centennial Conference.
The Mount (6-15) got off to a quick start and went toe-to-toe with the Mules for most of the first half. When Kaitlin Burud (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook HS) converted two free throw attempts with 4:16 remaining in the opening stanza, the Dolphins trailed 46-40, but that was the closest Mount Saint Vincent would get. An 8-0 Muhlenberg run extended the Mule lead to 16 points, and they led 36-22 at halftime.
The second half saw much of the same during an early going as Muhlenberg led by as many as 24 points with 7:16 remaining in the game, but the Mount then turned their play up a notch as DiNizo scored all 13 of her points during the final 20 minutes, and Gomes scored 10 times as Mount Saint Vincent outscored Muhlenberg 16-11 during the final six minutes of play. The Mount's comeback efforts down the stretch were also sparked by the play of Fitzpatrick and DeRosa, who each finished with a game-high 11 rebounds.
The Mount's efforts were thwarted the entire game by turnovers as the Dolphins committed 23 turnovers, while Muhlenberg was responsible for only 15. The Mules also outrebounded Mount Saint Vincent, 55-49, and shot 35%, while the Dolphins shot only 29%.
Aside from DiNizo's and Gomes's scoring heroics, Fitzpatrick finished with eight points on top of her 11 rebounds, while Burud finished the game with nine points, four rebounds, and four steals.
While Mount Saint Vincent's home schedule has ended, their season is very much alive. After their regular season finale Saturday at the College of New Rochelle, the Dolphins could advance to the post-season in two conferences. The Mount has clinched the #2 seed in the Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference (HVWAC), and is currently alone in eighth place in the Skyline Conference with the top eight teams in the Conference making the playoffs. However, two close Skyline competitors (St. Joseph's and Centenary) have two and three Conference games remaining, respectively, meaning the Mount's post-season future in the Skyline is very much up in the air.
