KINGS POINT, N.Y. (Feb. 27, 2026) – The USMMA women's basketball team is headed to the Skyline Finals for the sixth time in the last seven seasons, as the #2-seed Mariners defeated visiting #3-seed Mount St. Mary, 62-54, on Friday night inside a loud Liebertz Gymnasium. The victory was Merchant Marine's 11th-straight and improved its record to 22-4, while the Knights close out their campaign with a 17-10 record.
 
Game Links

• Box Score
• USMMA Postgame Press Conference
• Mount St. Mary Postgame Press Conference

 
Sophomore Breanna Sommers (Casa Grande, Ariz.), who before the game earned the Skyline's Elite 19 Award for the highest GPA amongst all players on the conference's women's basketball playoff teams, got the Mariners off to the hot start that they needed, and she finished the night with 18 points to go along with six rebounds and two blocks.
 
Two Mariners recorded double-doubles, as sophomore Carolae Barton (Waldorf, Md.) scored 24 points and brought down a game-high 15 rebounds, while also recording six blocks and three steals, and junior Emily Grasseler (Millbrook, N.Y.) drained 10 points and collected 12 boards. Freshman Jaden Lodice (Littleton, Colo.) chipped in with five points, including a clutch 3-pointer in the fourth quarter to put USMMA ahead by nine late, and classmate Tatum Carney (Fairfax, Va.) contributed four points off the bench.
 
Merchant Marine absorbed Mount St. Mary's early push and methodically took control over the final three quarters. The Knights grabbed a brief 3-0 edge in the opening minutes, but Sommers answered with a transition three and Barton established position inside as the Mariners turned a one-point game into a 21-16 lead by the end of the first. A 10-1 stretch midway through the period, fueled by layups from Barton and Sommers plus a Lodice fast-break finish, flipped the tempo and put Kings Point in front.
 
The early part of the second quarter belonged to MSMC, which strung together a decisive 12-0 run after trailing 21-14 to move ahead 26-21 following back-to-back threes and a transition basket. Out of a timeout by head coach Alexa Shields, Barton stabilized things on the interior and Sommers and Grasseler combined for key buckets, helping the Mariners respond with a 12-4 closing run of their own. Sommers' paint finish at 1:44 and Carney's jumper at 1:09 helped push KP back in front 33-28 before the Mount trimmed it to three at the half.
 
Kings Point created separation in the third with a series of inside scores and defensive stops, extending a three-point edge into a 10-point cushion. Barton scored three times in the paint during another 12-4 burst, and Sommers knocked down a three at 1:08 to make it 50-40 after the Knights had cut it to four.
 
In the fourth, Mount St. Mary never got closer than two possessions as Barton converted at the line, Lodice drilled a three off a Barton assist to stretch it to nine, and senior Hannah Ramsden (Port Aransas, Texas) helped ice it at the stripe to secure the semifinal victory.
 
Merchant Marine shot 28-for-64 from the field (43.8%) and connected on just 3-for-10 from beyond the arc (30.0%), while holding Mount St. Mary to 19-for-67 overall (28.4%) despite the Knights' 9-for-24 (37.5%) showing from three-point range .
 
The Mariners also controlled the glass with a 49-39 rebounding advantage and owned the paint, 32-12, while adding 11 fast-break points and forcing 17 points off turnovers in a game that featured just two ties and limited lead changes.
 
The Knights was paced by Margaret Trinkaus, who tallied 16 points and pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds while adding two blocks in 40 minutes. Angelina Donato contributed 11 points and seven boards with four assists, and Keira Frias provided 11 points off the bench, including three 3-pointers. Brianna Guglielmo added nine points with five rebounds.
 
The 2026 Skyline Championship Game between top-seeded Manhattanville and the #2-seed Mariners will be held this Sunday, March 1, up at the Valiants' Kennedy Gymnasium. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. (Please Note: Tickets will be available for the Finals through the Skyline Conference on Saturday. We will share the link on our social media pages – links below – and our athletics website when they become available.)
 
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