NEWBURGH, N.Y. – The Mount Saint Mary College women's basketball team will open the 2011-12 season tomorrow evening with a home game against SUNY New Paltz.  The tip is set for 6:00 p.m. inside the Kaplan Center.

With an overall mark of 26-3 and a Skyline Conference mark of 18-0, Mount Saint Mary completed the 2010-11 season by reclaiming the Skyline Conference championship, their 11th title in the last 12 seasons.  The Knights advanced to their 12th consecutive NCAA Division III National Tournament and defeated Emmanuel College in the opening round before falling to Bowdoin College in the second round.  Ranked as high as 22nd in the d3hoops.com national poll, the Mount finished the season as the 23rd ranked team in the country.

Four starters return from last year's squad, including all-conference selections in senior guard Jen Mocanu (Bedford, N.J.) and senior guard Amanda Horvers (Kingston, N.Y.).  Mocanu, a first-team selection in 2010-11 and the reigning Skyline Tournament MVP, led the team at 13.8 points per game and also posted a team-high 71 assists.  Horvers, also a first-team selection last year, averaged 13.0 points per game and led the team with 74 three-points.  She finished the season ranked 35th in the country in three-point field goals per game (2.6).

The Knights will also be looking for big things from junior forward Kate Hartnett (Floral Park, N.Y.).  Hartnett scored 8.6 points per game and led the team at 6.8 rebounds per contest in 2010-11.  To fill the shoes of graduate Jess Tice, a first-team Skyline selection in 2010-11, the Mount will use a combination of newcomers including sophomore transfer Sara Bender (Wallkill, N.Y.) and freshman Kristina Nieves (Fair Lawn, N.J.).

At the point guard position, Mount Saint Mary returns a starter in sophomore Fallon Witte (Loudonville, N.Y.), but the Knights will also get a big contribution from junior Charneice McCullough (Wyandanch, N.Y.).  McCullough averaged 5.5 points and 2.4 assists per game while connecting on 47.9% of her three-point attempts a year ago.  Witte averaged 2.4 assists and 3.3 boards in 2010-11.

Defense will key the Knights once again.  Mount Saint Mary led the country in field goal percentage defense (30.3%) for the fourth consecutive season in 2010-11.  The team also led the country in scoring defense (42.6 points allowed per game) and finished second in scoring margin (+27.4).

For comments on the season from head coach J. Randall Ognibene, please click here.