New Haven, Conn. – Junior guard Liz Falcigno (Wallingford, Conn.) scored a game-high 23 points on 8-of-16 shooting to lead the Albertus Magnus College women's basketball team past visiting Mount St. Vincent, 81-65, in non-conference action on Tuesday evening at The Nest inside the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center.
With their fifth straight victory, the Falcons improve to 11-6 on the year, while the Dolphins saw their two-game winning streak come to an end and move to 9-8 overall.
Falcigno, who topped the 20-point plateau for the second game in a row and the fifth time this winter, did most of her damage in the fourth quarter. The 5-7 guard scored 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting over the final 12 minutes to help the hosts avenge a five-point setback on the road versus the Dolphins last winter.
The visitors opened the game with baskets on their first three possessions behind an offensive rebound and three layups in the paint to hold an early 6-3 edge. Albertus Magnus would answer with a 15-0 run over the next six minutes to take an 18-6 edge and never trail again. During the spurt, the Falcons forced five turnovers. Late in the first, three-pointers on back-to-back possessions by Mount St. Vincent made it a six-point game and the two squads would trade jumpers as AMC took a 20-14 advantage into the second quarter.
Senior tri-captain Kelsey Pendagast (Shelton, Conn.) helped the Falcons take back a double-digit lead in the second frame with buckets on three straight possessions. Following her third layup in the post, Albertus would hold a 13-19 edge with just over seven minutes left in the half. The two teams would trade baskets throughout the remainder of the period and the Falcons ended with the final five points of the quarter capped by a Pendagast jumper to beat the buzzer and take a 47-31 edge into the break.
In the second half, Mount St. Vincent cut the deficit to single digits with six and a half minutes left in regulation following a trey from junior guard Christina Barone. Barone's three-pointer was her second of the game and made it a 66-58 contest in favor of the hosts. A minute and half later, after a Falcigno runner in the paint, the Dolphins would again pull within eight at 69-61 courtesy of a jumper from Alexandra Gunderman.
Gunderman's basket with just over five minutes left in the fourth quarter was the guests final field goal of the game before a last second layup as Albertus Magnus ended the tilt on an 11-4 run. Over the final five minutes, the Dolphins shot 1-of-6 from the field and had five turnovers.
Falcigno paced the Falcon attack, knocking down three shots from beyond the arc and 4-of-6 from the free-throw line. Sophomore forward Olivia Bolden (South Windsor, Conn.) netted her third straight double-double thanks an 18-point, 12-rebound performance. The other two Albertus Magnus players in double figures were Pendagast and freshman guard Deja Ward (Middletown, Conn.) with 16 and 11, respectively. Pendgast shot an efficient 7-of-10 from the field and added nine rebounds, while Ward hit 3-of-4 shots to along with a game-best six assists.
Junior guard Brittany Carroll and Gunderman were the lone Dolphins in double figures scoring 14 and 13, respectively. Both Carroll and Gunderman provided sparks off the bench as the Mount St. Vincent reserves outscored the Falcon subs, 43-15.
Albertus Magnus returns to action on Saturday, January 30, with a road Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) clash versus Simmons at 1:00 pm inside Moore Gymnasium. The Falcons enter this weekend's tilt riding a four-game winning streak against the Sharks.
For the latest information on the women's basketball team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.
