2/17/2007 - (Brooklyn, NY) - The Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference Championship Game is set, and for the first time in three years, it will not be a Mount Saint Vincent - St. Joseph's match-up. Top-seeded Mount Saint Vincent did their part, dominating #5 College of New Rochelle, 73-40 during Saturday's opener, but #2 St. Joseph's - the defending HVWAC Champions - were upset by #3 Saint Elizabeth, 51-44 in the nightcap. Mount Saint Vincent will square off with Saint Elizabeth for the HVWAC Tournament crown on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. at the Pratt Institute.

The opener featured a commanding performance by the 2006-07 HVWAC Regular Season Champions as Mount Saint Vincent (15-9) scored the game's first 10 points and raced out to a 19-2 lead en route to their second win of the season against CNR. The Mount led 39-16 after 20 minutes as freshmen Lauren Percodani (Staten Island, NY/St. Joseph by the Sea) and junior Kaitlin Burud (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook HS) combined to score 17 first half points on a combined 7 for 11 shooting. And if that wasn't enough Mount offense, freshman Karissa Koerner (Bay Shore, NY/Brentwood HS) got hot in the second half, converting six of her eight field goal attempts during the second half (including 5 for 7 from three-point range) as she scored 17 of her 19 points during the game's final 20 minutes.

Overall, Mount Saint Vincent shot 41% compared to CNR's 30% and the Mount outrebounded the Blue Angels 44-37 and enjoyed a 28-16 edge in turnovers. Every Dolphin in uniform scored at least five points, grabbed at least two rebounds, and recorded at least one steal. For CNR, who finishes their season 7-13, junior Ruchelle Austin (Brooklyn, NY/Sheepshead Bay HS) notched her 14th double-double of the 2006-07 season with 13 points and 16 rebounds. She closes the season with a 21.9 point per game average, and a 19.2 rebound per game average, making her one of the premiere centers in the region.

Game two was nothing short of a thriller as Saint Elizabeth overcame a five-point loss to St. Joseph's on Jan. 25 after an outstanding performance to advance to their first-ever HVWAC Championship Game. Saint Elizabeth (12-12) jumped out to an early 12-6 lead, but a 13-2 St. Joseph's run late in the first half put the Lady Bears, and St. Joseph's led 23-19 at halftime, but neither team was in top form during the opening 20 minutes. Saint Elizabeth shot 19% during the first half, and was outrebounded 30-23, but 12 St. Joseph's turnovers kept the game close.

A lay-up by freshman Julia Serewko (Queens, NY/Mary Louis) to open the second half put St. Joseph's ahead 25-19, but that was as close to the HVWAC Finals as the Lady Bears would get. A 13-2 Eagle run put Saint Elizabeth ahead 32-27 with 12:35 remaining in the game. St. Joseph's battled back to make it 34-32 with 10:31 to play after junior Annamarie Ciorciari (Queens, NY/Archbishop Molloy) hit a jumper, and it seemed as if St. Joseph's was ready to overtake the upstart Eagles. However, Saint Elizabeth held strong and pulled away by as many as five before St. Joseph's battled back to make it 44-42 with 4:19 to play. But a three-pointer by Nina Oshiokpekhai (Hillside, NJ/Mother Seton Regional) with 4:00 left in the game made it 47-42, and the flood-gates opened. Saint Elizabeth scored seven of the game's final nine points to clinch a trip to Sunday's HVWAC final.

CSE shot 42% during the second half to make up for their dreadful start, and an outstanding half on the boards allowed the Eagles to almost draw even in the rebound department as St. Joseph's finished with a 45-44 edge. The crucial statistic was 23 St. Joseph's turnovers, compared to 15 by Saint Elizabeth, and the resulting seven-point Eagle edge in points off turnovers made the difference in an otherwise even game.

St. Joseph's (10-18), who won the last four HVWAC Regular Season Championships and two of the last four HVWAC Tournament titles, was led by junior Svetlana Medvedeva (Brooklyn, NY/Lincoln HS), who registered a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds, and Ciorciari added 12 points and six assists. CSE was led by Oshiokpekhai and sophomore Sarah Kozlowski (Manalapan, NJ/Manalapan HS), who each scored 14 points, and junior Jamese Baker (Elizabeth, NJ/Elizabeth HS) grabbed a game-high 14 rebounds while scoring nine points.

2007 HVWAC Basketball Championships:
Thursday, Feb. 15 (Quarterfinals):
#5 College of New Rochelle 61, #4 Yeshiva 55 

Saturday, Feb. 17 (Semifinals at the Pratt Institute):
#1 Mount Saint Vincent 73, #5 College of New Rochelle 40
#3 Saint Elizabeth 51, #2 St. Joseph's 44

Sunday, Feb. 18 (Championship Game at the Pratt Institute):
#1 Mount Saint Vincent vs. #3 Saint Elizabeth - 4:00 p.m.