ALBANY – Despite double figures from three different Golden Knights, The College of Saint Rose women's basketball team dropped a 78-75 decision to Southern Connecticut State Wednesday evening in Northeast-10 Conference action at Daniel P. Nolan Gymnasium.

Sophomore forward Staci Barrett tied her career-high of 22 points of she led the Golden Knights offensively (3-4 overall, 1-3 NE-10), while seniors Mariah Lesure and Gabie Polce each nabbed season-highs of 18 and 16 points, respectively. Lesure grabbed a team-high nine rebounds, followed by Barrett with six. Senior guard Mariah Hankton notched 26 points and three steals to lead the Owls (2-4, 2-1 NE-10).   

Both teams stayed tight throughout the first five minutes of the first half, followed by a 9-0 run by SCSU for a 24-14 lead, its largest advantage of the half. The Golden Knights answered with a 24-13 spurt to tie the game at 37-all with just 1:58 remaining. Saint Rose sank two layups compared to a single free throw from the owls throughout the remainder of the half for the 41-38 advantage heading into the break.

The second half script showed a very different game as the teams battled and took turns with the lead. Saint Rose led by as much as six with 14:19 left in regulation, but the Owls fought through the deficit and set the game up for four ties in the final nine minutes. Following the final tie at the 63-63 mark, SCSU pulled away with a five point lead, twice, and kept Saint Rose from
coming too close for the win.

The Golden Knights grabbed 15 second chance points, 34 in the paint, and 12 off the bench.

Saint Rose returns to the floor on Saturday, December 13 for a 3:00 pm meeting at Southern New Hampshire, followed by its final home game of the semester on Wednesday December 17 against New Haven. Tip-off is set for 5:30 pm in Nolan Gymnasium.