Riverdale, NY - It was a fantastic day for the University of Mount Saint Vincent's women's basketball team on Saturday afternoon. The Dolphins showed out in front of their home crowd and dominated the competition, scoring a season-high 93 points en route to a 93-55 win over the Bears. UMSV played their best brand of basketball on both ends of the floor, a positive sign as playoffs near in the coming weeks.
The win catapulted the Dolphins to a 10-3 conference record, giving them sole possession of third place in the Skyline standings.
The Dolphins got off to a slow start, scoring just six points over the first six minutes of action. From there, however, the Dolphins would go on a tear to close out the period, as
Magan Jackson,
Kayla Hanley and
Kira Villegas each knocked down points to double up the Bears. The offensive momentum would carry into the second quarter, where the Dolphins would run a fantastic up-tempo offense, leading to an impressive 58% shooting percentage. UMSV's lead would balloon to 26 points at the period's conclusion, with Jackson, Hanley, Villegas and
Ariella Johnson combining to score all 30 of the team's points.
The Dolphins started slow to open the second half, but a quick timeout put the team right back into gear. For as strong as the team's offense was, the defense was equally as impressive. The Dolphins caused 19 Bears turnovers and collected 11 steals, with Johnson leading the way with three of her own.
Jackson's minutes-to-points ratio was impressive, as the sophomore scored 18 points in as many minutes of action. Hanley had arguably the best game of her season, scoring 16 points on six-of-seven shooting, including four-for-four from three, as well as being active in the passing game. Villegas, too, stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, eight boards, five assists, a steal and a block. Johnson was a force on both ends of the floor, picking up 13 points and eight rebounds on 50% scoring, in addition to her three steals. Her athleticism was also a driving force behind the team's transition game.
The Dolphins will look to keep the momentum in their favor this week when they face off against the United States Merchant Marine Academy in King's Point.
