Hot-Shooting Women's Basketball Sinks Apprentice

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. – Powered by a 58 percent second-half shooting effort, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team captured a 67-60 triumph over United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) rivals The Apprentice School on Sunday afternoon.

The Lady Bears (4-3) capture their second straight versus the Lady Builders (4-1) who suffer their first loss of the season.

Despite shooting 41.9 percent (13-31) in the opening half, St. Joseph's led for only two minutes of the period but closed out the period on a 10-1 run to enter the lockers tied, 30-30.

The Lady Bears got off to a quick start in the second half and led by as many as 11, but the hosts came back to take the lead momentarily before a 6-0 run capped by back-to-back fast break layups from Kelly McNamee (Glendale, N.Y./Mary Louis) and Megan Moran (Syosset, N.Y./St. Dominic's) put St. Joseph's back on top for good and the Lady Bears shot 6-for-7 from the stripe in the final minute to pull away from their lone-time nemeses.

Seniors McNamee and Moran each scored a game-high 17 points to lead St. Joseph's, Moran adding 10 rebounds and three assists for her first double-double of the season. Taylor Raccuglia (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) added 13 points, six rebounds and four blocks. Jennifer Miller (Ozone Park, N.Y./St. John's Prep) posted career highs of 12 points, nine rebounds and three blocks to round out four in double figures.

Apprentice was led by Courtney Collins and Shanae Hilliard who tallied 14 points each.

TURNING POINT

After Apprentice scored four straight points to cut the deficit to one, 59-58, just outside of a minute left in regulation, Samantha Retas (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) found a cutting Moran who converted the three-point play to move back up four, 62-58.

A stop on the defensive end gave the Lady Bears back the ball and McNamee drained 1-of-2 in the bonus to move ahead five with 30 seconds left and after a Lady Builders basket, Moran and Jamilynn McGowan (Staten Island, N.Y./Michael J. Petrides) went perfect from the line in the bonus to seal the win in the final seconds.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Other key contributor: Samantha Retas (4 pts, 13 reb, 3 ast)
• The game featured three ties and seven lead changes and St. Joseph's trailed for only a total of three minutes in the second half.
• St. Joseph's dished out 19 assists on 27 field goals with eight different Lady Bears recording a helper and seven handing out at least two.
• The Lady Bears swatted away nine shots (Raccuglia 4, Miller 3, Retas 1), two shy of the team record.
• The Lady Builders attempted 27 more shots than the Lady Bears, but suffered from a 25.6 connect rate for the game. St. Joseph's finished shooting 49.1 percent (27-55).
• St. Joseph's overcame 23 turnovers that resulted in 23 Apprentice points and 20 fast break points. The Lady Bears managed just six points off 11 Lady Builder miscues.
• Despite a slight size differential, St. Joseph's controlled paint scoring, 32-24.

THE BEAR FACTS

• McNamee ended her unblemished streak of free throws made, finishing 1-for-2 and is 22-for-23 (95.7%) on the season. She also leads the team in scoring with 14.0 points per game.
• Moran's double-double was just the fourth of her career.
• Miller surpassed her previous career high in scoring in the opening half scoring eight points on 4-of-6 shooting.
• St. Joseph's improves to 4-11 in the all-time series and wins back-to-back meetings for the second time (last: 2003 and 2004).
• St. Joseph's also wins for just the second time in six games at Newport News.

NEXT UP FOR THE LADY BEARS

St. Joseph's returns to action for their home opener at Brooklyn Technical High School hosting The King's College (N.Y.) on Tuesday, December 3. The Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader begins at 7 p.m. followed by the men at 9 p.m.