NEWTON, Mass. – Mount Ida cut a 15 point deficit to just three in the final four minutes of play but couldn't get a tying basket and saw Albertus Magnus College escape with a 71-65 victory in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at Mount Ida Athletic Center.
Trish Liotta (Hampton Bays, N.Y.) hit the only three-pointer of the game for Mount Ida with just 27 seconds left, pulling the Mustang deficit to 68-65, and capping a 13-1 run after the Falcons had led 67-52 with 4:19 left, the visitor's largest lead of the game.
Albertus Magnus (9-9, 3-3 GNAC) were held without a field goal over the final 4:50, but got a game-high 30 points from freshman Olivia Bolden (S. Windsor, Conn.) to help them hold off the Mustangs (6-12, 0-4 GNAC).
Mount Ida benefited from the double-doubles of Angelique Martinez (Taunton, Mass.) and Imani Bumpus (W. Hartford, Conn.). For Martinez, who scored 19 points and pulled down 14 boards, it was the fourth straight double-double and her seventh consecutive game with double-digit rebounds.
Stephanie Champoux (Tewksbury, Mass.) scored five points and had a steal during that run en route to a 13 point performance. Mount Ida fouled down by three, but Olivia Sutherland (Wallingford, Conn.) made three free throws down the stretch and the Mustangs couldn't convert on two more three-point attempts.
Bolden had 20 of her points in the second half, taking over for her teammate Kelsey Pendegast (Shelton, Conn.), who scored 12 points and grabbed ten rebounds in the first half. Albertus Magnus opened up a double-digit lead in the first twenty minutes thanks to a 10-0 run that featured layups by Pendagast and Bolden, as well as a bucket by Chelsea Sherrod (Bridgeport, Conn.), who led all players with 17 rebounds, to go with 7 points.
Two layups by Bumpus and then one of her four assists helped Mount Ida end the first half on a 5-1 spurt and cut the deficit to six points, 31-25, at the break.
They continued that effort out of halftime, quickly getting within two points, 33-31.
Bolden and Sutherland went to work, with two baskets by Bolden sandwiched around a quick steal of the inbounds pass and hoop by Sutherland. The lead grew to ten on a layup by Bolden with 11:04 left, and then reached its peak on a pair of free-throws by Bolden seven minutes later.
Bumpus finished the game with 13 points and ten rebounds, as well as a pair of blocks and a steal for Mount Ida, who were outrebounded 51-44.
Part of that was through the work of Pendagast, who notched a double-double of her own with 16 points and 10 rebounds, along with three assists and two blocks.
Sherrod swatted three shots and had a steal, and Sutherland ended the game with two thefts and three dimes.
After a seven game home-stand, Mount Ida will head back on the road for the first time since December 31st. They don't have very far to go however, as they will stay in Newton to face Lasell College on Tuesday night at 7:00 pm.
The Falcons will play their next two games outside of the GNAC, starting with a road trip to Coast Guard Academy on Monday night at 7:00 pm.