Mount Ida Tops Saint Joseph, 67-60

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Abbey Fedigan (New Fairfield, Conn.) and Amanda Bolio (Oxford, Mass.) scored 14 points apiece to lead a balanced attack as Mount Ida defeated Saint Joseph College 67-60 Saturday in a GNAC game at the O'Connell Center.

Mount Ida solidified its hold on a GNAC Tournament berth and improved to 13-10 overall and 7-4 in the league. Saint Joseph is 14-8 and 6-6 in the GNAC. Pending other results, the Blue Jays may face a must-win in their final conference game at Suffolk to reach the post-season.

Devon Diliberto (Waterbury, Conn.) scored a team-high 17 points for Saint Joseph, Mary Hyde (Derby, Conn.) had 12 and Heather Framski (Prospect, Conn.) scored 11.

 Bolio scored her 14 points in 16 minutes off the bench and Jenn Rafuse (Brockton, Mass.) had 12 points in 20 minutes off the bench as Mount Ida non-starters outscored their counterparts from Saint Joseph, 28-7.

Mount Ida shot 14-for-27 (51.9 percent) to the Blue Jays' 9-for-34 (26.5 percent) in building a 37-28 halftime lead.

Saint Joseph came out strong in the early part of the second half and took its first lead since 4-3 when a layup by Lindsay Feducia (Beacon Falls, Conn.) made it 46-45 with 12:09 left in the game. After a few back-and-forth possessions, Mount Ida took the lead for good at 52-50 on a Bilio jumper with 9:57 to play.  

The Blue Jays, however, remained in striking distance and a pair of free throws by Mary Hyde pulled Saint Joseph within 62-60 with 2:23 left. But the Blue Jays ended with three turnovers and two missed shots on their next five possessions.

Evebonee Acosta (Hartford, Conn.) had 10 points and eight rebounds for Mount Ida. Shauna Sullivan (Rocky Hill, Conn.) had eight points and eight rebounds for Saint Joseph. 

Saint Joseph hosts Trinity in a non-conference game, Mon. Feb. 13 at 7 p.m.