Newton, Mass. – A balanced scoring attack helped give Mount Ida College their second Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) win as they defeated visiting University of Saint Joseph 70-62 at Mount Ida Athletic Center on Tuesday Afternoon.
Early scoring was a key factor for Mount Ida as they opened up the game on a 12-2 run. Junior guard Breanna Muir (Wareham, Mass.) controlled that scoring out of the gate by hitting two back-to-back three-point shots.
Katlyn Jesse (Marshfield, Mass.) led the Mustangs by posting a team high 15 points and 5 rebounds. Senior center Angelique Martinez (Taunton, Mass.) had another double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Senior Forward Brittany Crosby (Riverside, R.I.) added another 12 points and 8 rebounds for Mount Ida.
Saint Joseph junior guard Rajeen Mayo (Middletown, Conn.) led all scorers with an impressive 27 points and 5 rebounds. Kayla Guest (Newington, Conn.) and Carlee Putnam (Niantic, Conn.) contributed another 15 points apiece with 7 rebounds combined.
The Mustangs early run was stopped by the Blue Jays as they scored eight consecutive points to bring it back to within four of Mount Ida. However, the Mustangs answered back with diverse scoring to give themselves a 13-point lead early in the second quarter. St. Joseph rallied back and was able to bring it to within four going into half with dominant scoring by Mayo and Putnam.
The second half was just like the first as Mount Ida outscored the Blue Jays 42-38, with each team shooting about 40% from the field. With a tie game at 52 and 6 minutes left in the game, Mount Ida went on a 12-2 run to give them the win.
Mount Ida moves to 6-16 overall and 2-11 in the GNAC. St. Joseph's moves to 8-13 and 2-10 in GNAC play as well.
The Mustangs return to action on February 11th as they travel crosstown to play Lasell in conference play at 2:00 PM. St. Joseph's matches up against Simmons in GNAC play on Thursday at 7:00 PM.