Friday, January 30th

The 49th Annual varsity basketball game between Mercy and Institute of Notre Dame went down to the wire on Friday night. The SECU Arena on Towson University's campus was nearly filled to the 5,200 capacity. This annual clash of the two schools started in 1967 and there is no other girls game that comes close to the excitment. The team records do not matter when they meet up.

Head Coaches Dave Zikorus(Mercy) and Robb Dubose(IND)

After 30 full minutes of pre-game entertainment by pep squads of both schools the teams and fans were ready for some action. The IND Penguins struck first with a free throw to make it a 1-0 game. Mercy bounced back to take a 4-1 lead but a late IND surge allowed them to close the first quarter up 8-4. Junior guard Amber Kapner-Jones scored 6 points for IND in the quarter.

The second quarter saw freshman Ja'Lynn Armstrong aggressively assert herself into the fray. She rebounded, made a couple of steals and foul shots and provided a spark for the Penguins. Another IND freshman, Branyelle Carillo, provided spark as well as she came off the bench to chip in. IND built a 7 point lead, but Mercy's sophomore guard Morgan Cobb scored 5 points in the quarter to help keep the Magic close. IND took a 17-11 lead into the halftime break.

The second half saw IND come out of the gate with a 5-0 run to take a 22-11 lead as Mercy came out shooting cold. Katelin Holt ended the drought for Mercy but IND maintained a comfortable margin for the rest of the third quarter. The Penguins entered the 4th leading 27 to 20 but Mercy was not going to go away easily. The 4th quarter was a classic as Ja'Lynn Armstrong continued to rebound and score to help IND maintain a lead. Buckets by Katelin Holt and Kameel Smith followed by a Kristin Curry free throw cut the IND lead to 30-27 with 4:21 left in the game. Armstrong scored again but missed the free throw on the "and 1" attempt which allowed Mercy to hang around. When Armstrong fouled out on the next possession the Mercy bench cheered loudly, sensing a chance to take over. The teams traded blows for the next 3 minutes. Morgan Cobb nailed a 3 pointer to close the gap to 1. A'Janay Nicholson stoled the ball and scored on a lay up to put IND up 4. Amber Kapner Jones and Natalie Cummins made enough free throws down the stretch to allow the Penguins to end up victorious 41 to 34.

IND's win was their 19th in the series. Mercy has won 30, but has lost the last two. This was a great night for girls basketball and everyone is already looking forward to the 50th "Game" next year.

Katelin Holt and Amber Kapner Jones were the most valuable players in the game, scoring 11 points each.

Juniof forward Katelin Holt of Mercy.

Freshman Ja'lynn Armstrong had a strong game and was worthy of the MVP award. She had 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Junior guard Amber Kapner Jones of IND