Brooklyn, N.Y. – The College of Mount Saint Vincent Women's Basketball team fell to 0-3 in overtime games on Saturday after a tough 71-65 road loss at NYU-POLY. Shannon Koch (Kings Park, N.Y.) led the Dolphins in scoring with 15 points, while Kelly Fraser (Staten Island, N.Y.) and Kara McNish (Hawthorne, N.J.) each recorded a double-double.
Saturday's game featured 12 ties and seven lead changes, with the Mount opening the game with the first three points and holding the advantage until the midway point of the period.
NYU-POLY would pick up its first lead of the afternoon after back-to-back Margaux Pickell buckets and would stay in front until a pair of Amy Delva (Nanuet, N.Y.) free-throws pushed the Mount back in front 18-17 with 7:21 to play until halftime.
The Mount Saint Vincent advantage would not last long, as Tabitha Larsen drained a three-pointer to push the Blue Jays back on top by a pair. The triple started an 11-2 run by NYU-POLY that pushed it in front by a game-high eight points with just over three minutes left in the half.
Despite shooting just 20-percent in the first 20 minutes, Mount Saint Vincent headed to the intermission down just six points at 30-24. McNish led the Dolphins with six points before the break.
Coming out of halftime, Mount Saint Vincent received a three-point play from Fraser at the at the 16:43 mark of the second half to pull in front 35-34. Following the three-point conversion, the Dolphins would not fall behind again until the overtime period.
After pulling in front 35-34, the Dolphins put together a 13-4 spurt capped by a Koch three-pointer at the 11:52 mark of the second half to match their largest lead of the day at 48-38.
After another Koch conversion at the 10:57 mark pushed the visitors in front 50-40, NYU-POLY rallied with an 18-8 run to close the second half and knot the score at 58-58 at the end of regulation. Catherine Thompson drained a three-pointer with nine seconds left in regulation to force the extra period.
Mount Saint Vincent would open the overtime period with a bucket from McNish to pull in front 60-58 and gain its only edge of the frame. Desiree Rosa (Dumont, N.J.) got the Mount even at 63-63 with a three-point play, but the Blue Jays closed the extra stanza on an 8-2 run to steal the league victory.
Mount Saint Vincent would shoot just 27.7-percent from the floor on the afternoon and went just 3-for-14 from behind the arc. The Dolphins also struggled from the free-throw line after going 10-for-18. It marked the eighth time this season the Mount has shot under 30-percent.
Koch finished the day with a season-high 15 points and made each of the Mount's three triples. She finished the game shooting 6-for-17 overall with an assist and three steals.
Fraser came off the bench to match her career-high with 10 points and record a new career-best with 14 rebounds. Eight of her 14 boards came on the offensive glass and she also posted a career-high six blocked shots.
McNish notched her eighth double-double of the season and the 18th of her career on Saturday after totaling 12 points and securing 17 rebounds. She also blocked a pair of shots and swiped three steals. Sarah Kluth (Lynbrook, N.Y.) also had a strong day with nine points, six steals and five rebounds.
Pickell paced NYU-POLY in the game with 22 to go along with 17 rebounds. She finished up 10-for-16 from the floor and blocked a game-high nine shots. Thompson matched Pickell with 22 points off the bench and also matched the team-high with three assists.
The loss drops Mount Saint Vincent to 5-12 overall on the season and to 1-7 in Skyline Conference play. The Dolphins will be back on the floor again on Monday when they play host to non-conference foe Centenary. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.