true Mount Saint Mary 63, Gwynedd-Mercy 62
2012 NCAA Tournament First-Round Game

BOX SCORE

ANNVILLE, PA  -- Gwynedd-Mercy fell to the hands of Mount Saint Mary as the Knights hit the go-ahead bucket with 2.9 seconds on the clock to edge the Griffins, 63-62, in a first-round game of the 2012 NCAA Tournament Friday evening on the campus of Lebanon Valley College.

The Griffins (20-8) led the entire game, leading by 10 at the half and by as much as 14 in the second, but could not hold off the Knights, going without a field goal over the last 3:35 of the contest.

Senior Bryn Cotteta (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) led GM with 18 points on 4-of-8 shooting including three three-pointers. Sophomre Taylour Alston (North Wales, Pa./North Penn) added 13 and grabbed nine rebounds. Senior Brittany Neill (Woodlyn, Pa./Archmere Academy Del.) chipped in nine points and seven boards.

Jenn Mocanu led all scorers with game-highs 30 points and 10 rebounds.

Gwynedd kept the Knights in check defensively in the first half, holding MSM to just a 19.4% shooting clip in the first stanza.

Cotteta, who scored 14 of her 18 points in the first period, drained a three-pointer off a Griffins steal from an errant pass gave GM a 24-13 lead, forcing Mount Saint Mary to call a timeout with 6:30 showing.

The Griffins hit a funk offensively, going without bucket for almost five minutes late in half. (6:34 last FG) Sophomore Jordan Dominic (Sellersville, Pa./Pennridge) hit from downtown  to help get the offense back on track. GM led by 10, 33-23, at the break. The Griffins held the Knights to 0-for-8 from deep while hitting 5-of-10 from behind the arc. MSM outrebounded GM, 28-25, but 13 of those boards were on the offensive side.

The lead was cut to 50-48, after six-straight Mount Saint Mary points, midway in the second. Mocanu tied it at 50-50 with 6:38 remaining hitting two trips at the line. Later, the Griffins rallied back, as two Cotteta free throws and driving layup from freshman Jess Rotella (Clifton Heights, Pa./Archbishop Prendergast) restored four-point lead. Rotella then found sophomore Natasha Matthews (Norristown, Pa./Norristown) on a high-low feed inside for a 56-50 edge. The lead was pushed to seven (59-52) after Rotella sank a driving layin and drew a foul with 3:36 left.

Again, the Knights pulled closer, getting four-straight points to trail by three, 59-56. Mocanu would draw a foul after a tough jumper in the paint to tie 59-59 with 1:40 showing.

Leading 61-59, Rotella registered another steal after two Shea Wassel free throws. She would get fouled and hit one of two at the line for 62-59 lead with 55.6 left. Mocanu responded with a fall-away jumper in the lane and foul, but her ensuing free throw missed. The rebound bounced around amongst a sea of hands which resulted in jump ball with the possession arrow pointing towards the Griffins. Gwynedd gave it back after a miss as the Knights rebounded and called a timeout with 14.6 left. Kristine Nieves would then hit a turnaround floater down in the post for their first lead of the game with 2.9 remaining. After a timeout of their own, Gwynedd drew up one last play, but Neill's inbound pass was intercepted at half court, sealing the outcome.

Gwynedd finished 41.3% from the floor but were guilty of 28 turnovers and were outrebounded, 51-44.

Nieves finished with 12 points and seven boards. Teammate Amanda Horvers registered 10 points and nine caroms.

Rotella had six points, four assists, and three steals.

The Griffins were making their eighth NCAA Tournament Apperance.