Felician Athletics - 12/15/07 WOMEN'S BASKETBALL - Smith, Biamonte Lead Felician Past Mercy, 67-61

RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Felician College rode 18 points and 12 rebounds from senior forward Dee Dee Smith (Monticello, NY/Monticello) to a 67-61 non-conference women’s basketball victory over visiting Mercy College on Saturday afternoon at Job Gymnasium.

A jump shot by Shannon Gilmartin (Port Monmouth, NJ/Mater Dei) with eight minutes, 40 seconds, left in the game gave Felician (2-7) its first lead since the opening minutes at 50-49. The shot came in the midst of a 10-0 Golden Falcons run which turned a five-point deficit into five-point edge at the 6:40 mark. A three-point field goal by Mercy’s Jazmin Steele (Stoughton, MA/Stoughton) cut her team’s seven-point disadvantage to 59-55 at 3:50, but Janelle Biamonte (Secaucus, NJ/Marist) made a three 10 seconds later to keep the Mavericks at bay.

Biamonte finished with 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists, and Felician’s Phylicia Daniels (Brooklyn, NY/Canarsie) recorded 15 rebounds. Mercy (2-7) received 16 points apiece from Christina Baxter (Greenwood Lake, NY/Tuxedo) (six assists) and Steele (seven rebounds) and 10 points and 15 boards from Delmara Reece (Yonkers, NY/Saunders).

The Golden Falcons were down by as many as 13 points in the first half and trailed, 39-34 at halftime. Mercy’s lead hovered between one and six points for the first nine minutes of the second period before Felician made its decisive run. The Mavericks were held to six field goals and 18-percent shooting after intermission, and shot 29 percent for the day.

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