NEWTON, Mass. – With a ten point lead in the second half, it looked like the Mount Ida College women's basketball team was on the way to their first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) win of the season, but Rivier University fought back and captured the lead for the final time with less than a minute to play en route to a 75-72 win on Saturday afternoon at Mount Ida Athletic Center.
The Mustangs fall to 6-10 (0-2 GNAC) despite four players scoring in double figures, including 22 points from sophomore point guard Katlyn Jesse (Marshfield, Mass.). Rivier improves to 5-7 on the year and 2-0 in conference play.
An offensive rebound by Raiders' sophomore forward Chelsey Hussey (Lebanon, Conn.) and a Mustang foul led to a pair of free throws which put the visitors in front 72-70 with thirty-six seconds left to play. Hussey had 19 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, complimenting the effort of her teammate, senior Deanna Purcell (Hudson, N.H.), who scored a game-high 25 and also dished out six assists.
Freshman Trish Liotta (Hampton Bays, N.Y.) scored 14 points for Mount Ida, including shooting 3-5 from downtown in the second half, and her back to back triples, as well as one from freshman Shanell Nardone (Tewksbury, Mass.) helped the Mustangs open up a 56-46 lead with 8:34 left to play.
Purcell answered with a three-pointer of her own on the next possession, hitting twice from downtown on an 8-0 run that let the visitors back into the game. Rivier tied the game at 60 on a layup by Caitlyn Perry (Nashua, N.H.), who added 13 points in the win, but three layups by Jesse over the next three minutes kept the Mustangs in front for the moment.
Another three-pointer, this one by Perry, tied the score again, 70-70, with 1:55 to play. Two possessions later, the Mustang defense forced a missed shot by Purcell, but Hussey corralled the ball under the hoop and drew contact that sent her to the line, where she sunk both attempts.
Down by a pair, Mount Ida could not convert on their next possession and were forced to foul, and Perry made both of her free-throws to give the Raiders a two-possession lead.
The hosts led for the majority of the first half, despite a 12-3 free-throw advantage for Rivier. A jump shot by Brittany Crosby (Riverside, R.I.) and a three-pointer by Jesse gave Mount Ida a 12-7 lead nearly eight minutes into the game, and twice a layup by Liotta kept the Mustangs in front by four points.
Rivier tied the game at 20 with 4:09 left, part of an 11-4 run over the final five and a half minutes. Crosby made a jump shot to put Mount Ida up by a pair again, but a three-pointer by Purcell put Rivier in front for the rest of the half, which ended with the visitors up 27-24.
Hussey scored nine points before the break to lead all scorers, while Purcell and Jesse each had seven points in the first half.
After a record breaking performance in her last time out, Mount Ida sophomore Angelique Martinez (Taunton, Mass.) was held in check, so to speak, still managing to record a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. She also dished out three assists ,while the Mustangs got four helpers from Imani Bumpus (W. Hartford, Conn.) and five assists from Nardone. Champoux led the way with four steals.
Raiders sophomore Savanna Butterfield (Londonderry, N.H.) had a well-rounded afternoon, scoring five points, adding seven rebounds, four assists, two blocks and two steals.
Rebecca DeBaldo (Pelham, N.H.) added eight points and six rebounds for Rivier, while Crosby grabbed eight rebounds and scored eight points off the bench, helping the home team to a slim 42-41 edge on the glass.
Mount Ida will return to their home court in just two days' time when they host Saint Joseph's College of Maine at 1:00 pm on Martin Luther King Day Monday, part of a doubleheader between the Mustangs and the Monks.
The Raiders are also at home on the holiday with a 5:00 pm conference tilt against Emmanuel.