Box Score Riverdale, NY - On a day where the 2023-24 Skyline Conference Champions were honored, this iteration of Dolphins picked up on their home floor where that team left off.
The University of Mount Saint Vincent's women's basketball team opened their home schedule on Saturday afternoon, taking a break from conference action to challenge John Jay College. The Dolphins - who last performed on the Sharp Center floor in the first round of the conference tournament - emerged victorious against the Bloodhounds by the score of 60-52. The win improved UMSV's overall record to 3-3 through six contests.
The Dolphins used the energy from the pregame championship ceremony and playing in front of their home fans for the first time to their advantage. UMSV led by as many as 12 points in the first quarter as the ball was distributed evenly among players.
JaKaia Lotz and
Julia Angeles opened the scoring for the Dolphins with back-to-back baskets before
Erin Smith went on a personal 8-0 run to put her team up 12-8.
From there,
Melanieann Broderick and
Kayla Hanley would chip in offensively, with the Dolphins leading 19-12 after one.
From there, UMSV would struggle offensively over the second and third quarters. The Dolphins would make just six of their next 32 shot attempts over that 20 minute span, giving John Jay enough of a leash to come back and take a two point lead heading into the fourth. Fortunately for UMSV, they would pick things up in the final period. After trailing by four, Lotz would knock down a jumper to make it a one possession game before Hanley knocked down four consecutive free throws to gain the advantage. Smith would then lead the charge with 10 fourth quarter points over the final five minutes of the period while Hanley, Angeles and
Grace Kennedy would chip in. The Dolphins as a whole went five-for-six from the charity stripe in the fourth, a major reason behind the comeback.
Smith led all scorers with 26 points, including going four-of-seven from three. The Goshen, New York native added five rebounds and two steals in the win. Hanley had an impressive outing of her own with 12 points, eight boards, six assists and two steals of her own while Lotz added seven points and eight rebounds.
The Dolphins will head to the city to challenge Yeshiva University this week.
