Lady Bears Split At Wilson College Tournament

CHAMBERSBURG, PA –The St. Joseph's College women's basketball (2-1) team took third place at the Wilson College Tournament, losing in the opening round to eventual champions Penn State Altoona, 82-69, and defeating USCAA foe Christendom (1-2), 50-27, in the consolation.  Sophomore guard Ashley McQuillan (Brooklyn, NY/St. Francis Prep) led the Lady Bears averaging 13.0 points for the tournament.

In the opener, the Lady Bears were unable to overcome a 23-12 foul disadvantage in the second half that sent the Nittany Lions to the charity stripe 42 times.  For the game, Penn State scored 34 points from the free throw line, with 30 coming in the second half.

After a McQuillan jumper with 17:27 remaining gave the Lady Bears their largest lead of the game at five, St. Joseph's was whistled for eight fouls over the next five minutes leading to an 11-3 Penn State run.  Penn State extended their lead to double-digits with 5:45 remaining and McQuillan fouling out of the game with a team-high 15 points and four steals.

Senior Julia Serewko (Woodside, NY/Mary Louis) recorded her second double-double of the season tallying 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds.  Sophomore Caitlyn Kakavas (Bayside, NY/St. Agnes) chipped in 10 points making her first start of the season.  Junior Allison Kavanagh (Woodhaven, NY/Mary Louis) pulled down 10 rebounds and added nine points.

Alicia Glasser, who was named Tournament MVP, led five Nittany Lions in double figures with 22 points, going 11-for-11 from the free throw line in the second half.

In the consolation, St. Joseph's took the lead from the opening tip and utilized a balanced attack to build a 29-8 halftime lead.  The Lady Bear defense forced 39 Christendom turnovers that led to 30 points.  Coach Frank P. Carbone's bench saw significant playing time and accounted for 34 of the 50 points.

McQuillan led St. Joseph's again with 11 points.  Freshmen Teresa Mangan (Cleveland, OH/St. Joseph's) and Janine Doran (South Ozone Park, NY/Archbishop Molloy) added seven points apiece.  Freshman Robin Darville grabbed a team-high seven rebounds.

St. Joseph's returns to action this weekend competing in the College of St. Elizabeth's Thanksgiving Tournament.  In the opening round, the Lady Bears will look to avenge last year's loss in Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference Championship game against St. Elizabeth, who left the HVWAC this season to join the North Eastern Athletic Conference.  Game time is scheduled for Saturday at 3:00 p.m.  St. Joseph's will face either UMass-Boston or Medgar Evers on Day Two.