NEWTON, Mass. – The Mount Ida College women's basketball team garnered their first Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) victory of the season with a 74-64 win over the visiting Blue Jays of Saint Joseph (Conn.). With the win, Mount Ida improves to 7-17 (1-9 GNAC) while the Blue Jays drop to 8-15 (3-6 GNAC).
The Mustangs saw three players score in double figures while two of them tallied double doubles. Imani Bumpus (West Hartford, Conn.) led the way for the hosts with a stellar performance of 20 points, 11 rebounds and four assists. Angie Martinez (Taunton, Mass.) tallied 15 points and 13 boards to go along with five assists. Sophomore Katlyn Jesse (Marshfield, Mass.) recorded 18 points in the victory.
Stephanie Champoux (Tewksbury, Mass.) opened up the game with the first basket of the game giving Mount Ida the early lead. Blue Jay Kayla Guest (Newington, Conn.) tied the game up with an easy layup just 28 seconds into the game. Mount Ida then ripped off a quick 7-0 run led by Bumpus to increase the Mustang lead to 9-2. After a good jumper from Bumpus, Guest got the Blue Jays going with a layup and a Heather Framski (Prospect, Conn.) free throw which brought the visitors back within four early on. Guest then made two free throws to cut the lead to 11-9 in favor of the Mustangs. Brianna Ferraro (Waterbury, Conn.) converted a lay up to tie the game at eleven with 15:51 remaining in the half.
After a made layup by Martinez that put the Mustangs back in the lead, Stephanie DeJesus (Meriden, Conn.) converted two jump shots back to back to tie things up again for the visitors.
After a Martinez layup that put Mount Ida back up 19-17, Mount Ida never lost the lead in the first half, the Mustangs used a 14-2 run led by Jesse, Champoux and Martinez to increase the home lead to 32-19. Framski ended the Mustang hot streak with a jumper of her own with 5:51 remaining in the half.
Saint Joseph used a 6-0 run themselves to cut into the Mustang lead before Trish Liotta (Hampton Bays, N.Y.) hit her first three of the game to put the Mustangs back on top by ten at 35-25.
Both teams exchanged baskets throughout the remaining minutes of the first half while Mount Ida headed to the locker room with a seven point cushion off a Bumpus jump shot with 0:02 seconds left in the half.
Brianna Ferraro (Waterbury, Conn.) started things off for the Blue Jays in the second half while converting a jumper to bring the visitors back within five just twenty-seven seconds into the second stanza. After a Bumpus layup, Jesse made her first three pointer of the contest to put Mount Ida back ahead by eight.
With a Shanell Nardone (Tewksbury, Mass.) three and a Bumpus jumper to go along with Martinez layup and made free throw, Mount Ida increased their lead back to ten by a score of 52-42.
Rajeen Mayo (Middletown, Conn.) made two free throws to bring Saint Joseph within seven before she then rattled off a layup and another made free throw to cut the lead down to 53-49 in favor of the Mustangs.
Liotta made her second trey of the game, a big one in a big spot to increase the home lead back to five before Jesse came down the floor off a steal from Bumpus to put the Mustangs back up by nine.
After a Ferraro jumper and made free throw, Saint Joseph was knocking on the door once again while Elisha Pertillar (Windsor, Conn.) connected on a jumper to bring the Blue Jays back within four at 58-54. After a Jesse layup that made the score 60-54, Framski brought USJ back within three points before Champoux made 1 out of 2 free throws to increase the Mount Ida lead by three. Mayo then knocked down a jump shot to cut the lead down to 61-59, Mount Ida.
That was as close as USJ would get as the trio of Jesse, Martinez, and Bumpus would finish off the Blue Jays with a made free throw from Jesse to give Mount Ida the GNAC victory by a final score of 74-64.
Mount Ida outshot the visitors with a 48.4% FG percentage for the game while the Blue Jays shot just 32.3% for the game. The Mustangs shot 33.3% from downtown while they saw USJ shoot just 7.7% from behind the arc.
Mount Ida did not perform at the line as they shot 43.8% while Saint Joseph went 21-27 at the charity stripe for a 77.8% FT percentage.
The Mustangs will wrap up the season on Saturday, February 21st when they visit Suffolk University with tip-off slated for 1:00. USJ will travel to Johnson and Wales on Tuesday night with game time set for 7:00.