1/28/2006 - (Riverdale, NY) – Their defense was much improved, their rebounding more effective, and their intensity matched an opponent that has been nothing short of a dynasty in Skyline Conference play. And when they headed to the locker room at halftime trailing only 42-34 to Mount Saint Mary on Saturday, the Mount Saint Vincent Women’s Basketball found themselves in an all-too-familiar position of going toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the Skyline Conference during the first half of play. Ultimately, as has happened throughout the 2005-06 season, the second half proved to be the Mount’s downfall, and Mount Saint Mary earned a hard-fought 67-45 win over the Dolphins for their 62nd straight Skyline Conference win … but it wasn’t easy.

Senior Andrea DiNizo scored a team-high 16 points, including the 1,100th of her career, but the Mount Saint Vincent Women's basketball team lost a hard-fought 67-45 battle to Mount Saint Mary on Saturday, a game in which the Dolphins trailed only 42-34 at halftime. Mount Saint Vincent is now 5-12 and 2-8 in Skyline Conference play. They return to action on Tuesday when they host Yeshiva at 8:00 p.m.

The scoreboard fails to do justice to the Mount Saint Vincent effort after the Dolphins fell to Mount Saint Mary 86-49 only one week ago. Unlike last time when the Blue Knights (16-2, 7-0 Skyline Conference) took nearly twice as many shots as the Dolphins, this time around Mount Saint Vincent had an answer. Last week, Mount Saint Vincent allowed 49 second-half points after trailing 37-27 at halftime. This time, the Dolphins ended the game taking only one fewer shot than Mount Saint Mary, and allowed the Blue Knights only 25 second-half points. Unfortunately, the Mount suffered through their worst shooting half of the 2005-06 season during the second half, converting only three of 33 field goal attempts, many of which were open shots, and the Dolphins scored only 11 points during that stretch. But the level of play had clearly been closer this time around as Mount Saint Vincent found ways to generate offense against the vaunted Mount Saint Mary defense, and the Dolphins held their own defensively against a much bigger Blue Knight front court - only the shots didn’t fall when the Dolphins had their chances.

Mount Saint Vincent senior Andrea DiNizo (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Masters) had the hot hand throughout the game, scoring a team-high 16 points. DiNizo’s efforts were clutch during the first half when Mount Saint Mary tried to turn an early 10-point lead into a blow-out, but DiNizo and the Dolphins refused to let that happen. Her jump shot with 3:54 remaining in the opening half cut the Blue Knight lead to 33-28 and forced them to take a time-out. But that was the closest Mount Saint Vincent would get. The 16-point output for DiNizo allowed her to break the 1,100 career point plateau and she has not chipped in 1,106 points during her Mount Saint Vincent career. Sophomore Kaitlin Burud (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook HS) also had a fine game as she finished with nine points, eight rebounds, and a game-high four steals.

Mount Saint Vincent’s 5-12 record fails to show the true story of their 2005-06 season. Despite their record, 13 times this season the Mount has either led, been tied, or trailed by 10 points or less at halftime, including every game they have played against the top-six teams in the Skyline Conference.

For Mount Saint Mary, junior LaSheena Brown (Malverne, NY/Malverne HS) continued to make her case for Skyline Conference Player of the Year honors after finishing with game highs in both points (20) and rebounds (14). The center shot 10 for 18 from the floor, and added three blocked shots to her efforts. Fellow center Jackie Markert (Vorheesville, NY/Vorheesville HS) came off the bench and added 13 points and nine rebounds. Mount Saint Mary’s 67 points were scored by seven different players, and Mount Saint Mary enjoyed a 49-38 rebounding advantage.

Mount Saint Vincent continues its five-game homestand when they host Hudson Valley Women’s Athletic Conference (HVWAC) rival, Yeshiva, on Tuesday at 8:00 p.m.