Saturday, February 16, 2013 (Paxton, Massachusetts) - In the final game of the season for the Mount Ida College women's basketball team, senior guard and Captain Evenbonee Acosta (Hartford, CT/Bulkeley) notched 15 points with four assists falling to host Anna Maria College in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play Saturday afternoon in a 76-71 loss. The Mustangs put a close to 2012/2013 dropping their 12th straight contest dropping to an overall record of 6-19 unable to capture a league victory this year under the direction of rookie Head Coach Leah Lipschitz. Neither the AmCats nor MIC qualified for conference post-season action.
Mount Ida sophomore forward/center Jenn Rafuse (Brockton, MA/Brockton) caromed an impressive 24 rebounds during the contest to set the all-time school record of the boards in a contest. Rafuse would chip in 15 points while sophomore shooting guard Allison O'Connor (Leominster, MA/Leominster) tallied 12 points and three assists.
Sophomore Katie Pryor (Whitinsville, MA) scored a game high 21 points, leading the AMCATS to a 76-71 win over Great Northeast Athletic Conference rival Mount Ida College. Fellow sophomore Kaitlyn Patno (Lunenburg, MA) added 18 points, while junior Taylor Walker (Winchendon, MA) chipped in with 13 points to go along with a team high 16 rebounds.
In a pre-game ceremony, seniors Brooke Denver (New Britian, CT), Alison McCarthy (Lynn, MA), and Brenda Robledo (Reno, NV) were honored for their contributions to Anna Maria's women's basketball team over the past four years.
The game got off to a slow start, as both offenses struggled to find their rhythm. The Mustangs were the first team to break through, and were able to open the game on a 7-2 run. The AMCATS offense responded, as they erased the early deficit on a jump shot from junior Liz Sama (Windsor, CT), giving Anna Maria its first lead of the game with 12:22 remaining in the first half. The game remained close throughout the half, but the AMCATS never relinquished their lead, taking a 29-24 lead into the locker room at the break.
The AmCats offense heated up in the second half, increasing their lead from five to as many as 18 points with 10:32 remaining in the game. The Mustangs rallied back, going on a 17-5 run to shrink their deficit to six points with just under seven minutes remaining.
While the Mustangs kept the game close, the difference in this one was the AmCats remarkable three point shooting. The team converted eleven of twenty-two attempts, with Patno nailing six total shots behind the arc, leading her team to the 76-71 victory.