BUFFALO, N.Y. – The Medaille College women's basketball team took on Pitt-Greensburg for their conference game falling 64-67. This puts the Mavs at 10-13 overall and 5-9 in conference play.
This was also Medaille's Senior Day inside the Sullivan Center as Morgan Kennedy (Philadelphia, PA, West Catholic Prep) was honored for her four-year Maverick career ahead of tip-off.
The Bobcats scored early after capitalizing on a Medaille turnover. Erin Hardick (Buffalo, NY, Sacred Heart) came out aggressive driving to the basket and drew a foul, hitting a free-throw for the first Maverick point. The Mavs did well to move the ball on offense but could not finish at the rim. The Bobcats grabbed multiple offensive rebounds to maximize their scoring opportunities and took a 6-1 lead. Desmonique Veal (Buffalo, NY, City Honors) made a great move in the paint to split defenders and score the first layup for Medaille. Veal continued her success in the paint with back-to-back layups. Despite a late scoring effort from Hardick and Treanna Blenman (Brooklyn, NY, Greece Odyssey), the Mavs trailed 11-21 at the end of the first quarter.
The second quarter started with another Bobcat layup but Kennedy responded quickly with a mid-range jumper. The next few minutes were a battle of defenses as both teams struggled to score. The Mavs were hanging tough but the Bobcats hit back-to-back threes to pull ahead 38-20. Shyanne Trinh (Dorchester, MA, Stoughton) hit a deep three off of a great pass fromCaiden Crego (Newark, NY, Lyons) followed by another three from Blenman with 1:30 left to play. Hardick finished on her layup with less than a minute to play but the Bobcats responded instantly and finished the quarter leading 42-26.
The Mavs brought the energy to start the third quarter with a three from Trinh. The Mavericks added a more aggressive defensive strategy to make up some ground and put the pressure on the Bobcats. The defensive battle between both teams resumed for the next few minutes which ended with a Bobcat three. Trinh connected on another shot beyond the arc and Ariea Garrett (Cleveland, OH, Beaumont) scored in the paint to bring the Mav within 11 points. The Mavs started to win the rebound battle as Hardick hit a jumper to force a Bobcat timeout. Garrett snuck an inside pass down low to Trinh for two and Hardick scored again with 20 seconds left in the quarter. Garrett closed out the quarter with a big block as the Mavs now trailed 42-48 going in to the final quarter.
The Maverick momentum continued into the fourth quarter which started with multiple turnovers from the Bobcats. Kennedy took over the game for the next few minutes with a great move in the paint for two. She could not be stopped offensively as she connected on a deep three and later grabbed an offensive rebound and put back in for two. Kennedy stormed down the court right after to block a shot from the Bobcats as the Mavs closed the gap losing 51-52. The Bobcats finally beat the Medaille defense to hit a jumper that was quickly answered by Hardick. Veal drove into the paint to score and tie the score up at 55. Both teams traded points as the Mavs were within three points with two minutes left in the game. The Mavs were giving it all they had over the next minute but struggled to finish. The Bobcats hit a three but the Mavs were not done yet. Veal scored quickly and the Mavs forced a turnover that led to a layup from Hardick. The Mavs trailed 62-63 with 19 seconds to play. The Bobcats sunk two free throws to extend their lead but Kennedy also hit both of hers to stay within one point. The Bobcats went back to the line to score and the Mavs made one last push to tie the game but fell short. The time expired with a 64-67 loss for the Mavericks.
Game leaders for the Mavericks were Hardick with 16 points going 7-15, Trinh with 13 points going 5-10 from the field, 3-5 beyond the arc, and added five steals. Kennedy recorded 13 points going 5-10 with a team-high eight rebounds and one block. Veal added 12 points going 5-11 with seven rebounds and four assists.
The Mavericks will return to play on Wednesday, February 16 on the road at Alfred State. Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.
