EMMITSBURG, Md. – Kendall Bresee scored 16 of her game-high 25 points in the second half, as Mount St. Mary's held off a late surge from Loyola University Maryland to secure an 81-75 victory on Friday night.
Stephanie Karcz flirted with a quadruple double for the Greyhounds (1-7), as she totaled 10 points, 11 rebounds, nine steals and seven assists to once again fill up the stat sheet.
Isabella Therien added nine points in her season debut, while
Delaney Connolly led all Loyola scorers with 14 points.
The Mountaineers (4-3) earned a third-consecutive victory. They led 73-63 with three and a half minutes remaining in regulation, but an
Ava Therien layup on the other end began a 9-2 run for the visitors to reduce the margin down to three.
The last of Karcz's season-high nine thefts gave Loyola the ball trailing 75-72 with 53 seconds left. A contested traveling call, however, gave the ball back to the Mount, and Bresee hit a pair of free throws to restore a two-possession lead which held for the remainder of the contest.
Karcz moves back to the top of the Division I leaderboard at 5.9 steals per game on the year. She finished one shy of her career-high of 10, which she has reached on two separate occasions. The double-double, meanwhile, was her fourth of the year and 23rd overall at Loyola.
Isabella Therien, who led Loyola in scoring in each of her first two collegiate seasons, made her first appearance since Jan. 30. She made the most of her nine minutes, hitting 3 of 4 field goal attempts and half of her six free throws. The 2018 Patriot League Rookie of the Year, Therien averaged 15.2 points per game in 2017-18 and 14.3 ppg last season.
Connolly added seven rebounds to go along with her 14 points, as she reached double figures for a fourth time this season.
Alexis Gray chipped in 12 points and four assists, while
Ava Therien (4-5 FG) and
Bri Rozzi (5-6 FT) each added eight points off the bench.
Loyola wraps up a five-game stretch away from Reitz Arena on Sunday, traveling to No. 9 Maryland for a matchup beginning at 1 p.m.
