Retas' Career Game Helps Lady Bears Hold Off Purchase

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Sophomore Samantha Retas (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) poured in a career-high 31 points and helped the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team hold off a late surge from Purchase College to take a 70-65 victory at Brooklyn Technical High School on Thursday night.

St. Joseph's (6-6) reaches the .500 mark for the first time this season winning their second straight while Purchase (5-7) finds their four-game win streak halted.

Retas recorded her seventh double-double of the season pulling down a career-high-tying 15 rebounds. The sophomore also swatted away a career-best four shots helping the Lady Bears reach double-digit blocks (10) for the second-straight game.

Senior Teresa Mangan (Cleveland, OH/St. Joseph's) added 14 points and six rebounds. Senior Janine Doran (South Ozone Park, NY/Archbishop Molloy) and sophomore Taylor Raccuglia (Brooklyn, NY/Bishop Kearney) each contributed near double-doubles. Doran grabbed 11 rebounds and dished out eight assists – the most in Lady Bears history by a non-guard – while Raccuglia had nine points and nine rebounds in her first career start.

For Purchase, senior Jessica Biggs led four Panthers in double-figures with 17 points in her Purchase debut, hitting five three-pointers, including three in a last-minute rally that brought the Panthers within four. Freshman Elizabeth Osowiecki and senior Talia Beaulieu each finished with near double-doubles, grabbing a team-high nine boards each and chipping in 13 and 12 points, respectively.

Purchase took the early lead, but a trifecta from Mangan five minutes in gave St. Joseph's a 9-8 lead they wouldn't relinquish. The Lady Bears raced out to a 46-32 halftime advantage on the strength of 58 percent (18-for-31) first-half shooting – 46 points the most scored by St. Joseph's in a half this season – Retas leading the way with 17 points on a crisp 6-of-7 shooting.

St. Joseph's faltered early in the second with poor shooting and several turnovers. A five minute scoring drought allowed Purchase on a 9-0 run that clipped the lead to six, 48-42.

But Retas took over and ended the drought with a layup and proceeded to score 10-of-the-next-14 Lady Bears' points – mostly on layups cutting to the basket – that pushed the lead back to double-figures, 62-49 with under five minutes to play.

Mangan found Retas cutting to the basket again for a layup that kept the St. Joseph's lead at 13, 67-54, at the 1:55 mark – the basket pushing Retas past the 30-point plateau. Mangan's assist was a season-best 24 for the team, with all but three field-goals coming off a dish.

But Purchase made a late run with full-court pressure forcing three turnovers and Biggs making the Lady Bears pay with three trifectas sandwiched around a pair of Beaulieu free throws that pulled Purchase within four, 69-65, with 18 seconds to play.

Biggs then swiped a steal in the backcourt on the ensuing Lady Bears possession but couldn't capitalize, missing a layup and Doran went 1-for-2 at the line after securing the rebound to stave off the Purchase comeback bid.

St. Joseph's continues a five-game stretch of home games to open the new year, returning to the hardwood on Saturday, January 5th. The Lady Bears will welcome Albertus Magnus College to the Barclays Center, home of the Brooklyn Nets, for a non-conference tilt starting at 2:30 p.m. followed by the Brooklyn Nets vs. Sacramento Kings NBA game at 7:30 p.m.

Live video and stats will be available on SJCBears.com with Sitesh Shah calling the action and updates via @SJCBears on Twitter.