11/28/2006 - (Brooklyn, NY) - If the St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) Women's Basketball team is going to win its 40th straight Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference (HVWAC) regular season game, they are going to have to wait a while ... a long while. After 39 consecutive HVWAC regular season wins over more than five years of play, the Lady Bears saw their streak come to a crashing halt on Tuesday night as Mount Saint Vincent unleashed one of the finest performances in the history of the program, opening up a 17-point halftime lead en route to a 66-29 upset win that catapulted the Dolphins to the top of the HVWAC standings and put the Mount in the driver's seat for the HVWAC season. With the win, Mount Saint Vincent improves to 2-1 to open the 2006-07 season, scoring an improbable blow-out win over the very St. Joseph's team that downed the Mount in last season's HVWAC Championship Game.

The first 11 minutes saw the back and forth play and intensity that has defined the HVWAC's most dramatic basketball rivalry for years. Both teams held leads during the opening portion of the first half and neither team gave an inch during that stretch. When St. Joseph's Lynette Reyes (Brooklyn, NY/Christ the King) hit an open jumper with 9:32 remaining in the first half, Mount Saint Vincent held the slightest of leads, 17-13, and it seemed as if another Mount Saint Vincent - St. Joseph's classic was imminent.

However, in a turn of events that stunned and silenced a raucous St. Joseph's crowd that packed the Bishop Loughlin gymnasium, that basket was the last time the Lady Bears would score a point until the second half was well under way. A series of missed shots and turnovers gave the Dolphins an overwhelming command of possession as the first half wound down, and the Mount took advantage, ending the opening stanza with a 13-0 run that gave Mount Saint Vincent a 30-13 lead after 20 minutes. Just as it seemed as if things couldn't get worse for St. Joseph's, the Mount opened the second half with an 8-0 run over the first 3:36 to extend the Lady Bear scoring drought to 13:08, and the Dolphin lead to 38-13.

From there, the rout was on as Mount Saint Vincent never looked back during a spectacular display of defense and hustle. Mount Saint Vincent forced an unbelievable 41 St. Joseph's turnovers, outrebounded the Lady Bears 53-52, and shot 38% from the floor while St. Joseph's shot only 18%. Even more commanding was the Mount's discipline as the Dolphins went to the free throw line 25 times while St. Joseph's shot only nine free throws.

Perhaps more impressive than the final score was the group leading the charge as 48 points, 31 rebounds, 14 assists, and 10 steals were registered by freshmen playing against the Mount's HVWAC arch-rival for the first time and breaking one of the most storied streaks in HVWAC history. Freshmen Courtney Heesemann (New Hyde Park, NY/New Hyde Park HS) was nothing short of sensational, recording her first career double-double with game highs in points (21) and rebounds (14).  Heesemann, last week's HVWAC Rookie of the Week was everywhere throughout the game, grabbing rebounds over St. Joseph's larger interior players, diving after loose balls, and hitting clutch shots ... but she wasn't even the best freshman on the floor for Mount Saint Vincent.

That honor belongs to Lauren Percodani (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph by the Sea), who was simply incredible during every one of her 29 minutes on the floor. Percodani scored 13 points, recorded a game-high seven assists, registered seven steals, and although she was officially the shortest player on the floor, grabbed eight rebounds - more than all but two St. Joseph's players. The Percodani-Heeseman combination gave the Mount a 1-2 punch that made such a momentous victory possible.

The Dolphin veterans were also outstanding as junior Kaitlin Burud (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook HS) and senior Caitlin Morch (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) each registered five steals while combining for 12 points and seven rebounds.

Coming off one of their biggest wins, ever, and perhaps one of the biggest upsets in HVWAC history, Mount Saint Vincent must now put their HVWAC aspirations aside for the time being and focus on the challenging Skyline Conference slate that begins this week with the first of three Conference games. On Saturday, Mount Saint Vincent hosts Manhattanville College at 1:00 p.m. for their 2006-07 home opener, and will look to start the Skyline slate with another win.