BRONXVILLE, N.Y. – The Concordia Clippers women's basketball team hosted The College of Saint Rose on Thursday evening in a non-conference matchup in the Meyer Athletic Center. The two former New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) schools would go down to the wire as the Golden Knights came away with a 66-64 victory.
In the first quarter Saint Rose jumped out to a 9-4 lead as a 6-2 run for Concordia got them within a point at the 3:55 mark, 11-10. The Golden Knights would end the period on a 7-2 run as the visitors held an 18-12 lead after 10 minutes of play.
The second quarter saw the Clippers cut into their deficit as a 7-1 run for Concordia brought them within four points, 25-21, with 4:22 remaining. Saint Rose responded with four unanswered points as the Clippers would call timeout. Concordia ended the half on a 7-2 run as the Golden Knights went into the locker room with a 31-28 advantage.
The Clippers used a strong start to the third quarter to take their first lead of the game following a 10-0 run as Concordia led 41-37 at the 3:25 mark. Saint Rose would re-gain the advantage following eight unanswered points, as the Golden Knights finished the quarter with a 13-2 run overall to take a 50-43 lead into the final quarter.
Saint Rose would extend their lead to double digits with 7:09 to go, but the Clippers used a 7-2 run to get within striking distance, 58-52. The Golden Knights would once again take a double digit lead at the 2:44 mark, but a full court press by Concordia and strong defensive play allowed them to use a 10-2 rally and trail 64-62 with 47 seconds to go. The Clippers were unable to complete the comeback as Saint Rose traded points in the final eight seconds to hold on for the 66-64 win.
Senior Jessica Rosalbo (Staten Island, N.Y.) led Concordia with 17 points as she also had three rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Junior Julianne Wilkinson (Red Hook, N.Y.) added 16 points and three steals as junior Lyric Blanch (Kingston, N.Y.) chipped in with 12 points, three assists, and three steals. Freshman Amiya Rankins (Somerset, N.J.) came off the bench to score 11 points while junior Hadiyah Black (Brooklyn, N.Y.) recorded a game-high 10 rebounds.
The Clippers (2-6, 2-1 CACC) will next host Caldwell University on Saturday afternoon in a Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference (CACC) North Division game. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. as fans unable to attend can follow the action by clicking on the live stats and video links under the women's basketball schedule page on ConcordiaClippers.com.