Women's Basketball Gameday: Lady Bears at Valley Forge Christian

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – St. Joseph's (8-7) looks to bounce back from a pair of home losses, traveling to Valley Forge Christian College (1-12) on Thursday, January 23rd for a 6 p.m. tip-off.

Game Information

St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) (8-7, 1-0 HVIAC) vs.
Valley Forge Christian College (1-12)

Thursday, January 23rd • 6 p.m.
Phoenixville, Pa.

Live stats & Live Video (Courtesy of Valley Forge Athletics)
Twitter | Instagram (@SJCBears, #SJCWBB)

Storylines

• The Lady Bears are coming off back-to-back losses at Brooklyn Technical High School for the first time since December of 2011.
• St. Joseph's is 3-2 in true road games this year but have not played one since taking on Old Westbury on December 7th.
• The Lady Bears own a 1-0 edge in the all-time series, winning the lone previous meeting back in November of 1999.
• The Patriots hold a 1-5 record at home this season, picking up their lone win of the 2013-14 campaign against USCAA member Penn State Lehigh Valley on December 3rd.
• St. Joseph's relies on a defense that holds opponents to 30.1 percent shooting from the floor. The Lady Bears set a new school record with 12 blocks against CCNY on Monday and average 6.2 per game as a team. Leading St. Joseph's in the rejections category is Samantha Retas and Taylor Raccuglia who average 2.5 and 2.3 blocks per game, respectively.
• Forward Megan Moran scored a career-high 23 points and dished out a career-high six assists in the Lady Bears loss to CCNY.
• Retas set a new school record with 21 rebounds and tied the blocks school record with six against CCNY.

Series History

St. Joseph's holds a 1-0 lead in the all-time series with the lone meeting coming all the way back in 1999.

Last Meeting

The Lady Bears earned a 59-42 triumph over the Patriots on November 12, 1999.

The Lady Bear Facts

Last Time Out: St. Joseph's set a new school record with 12 blocks and had four players score in double figures, but the Lady Bears could not overcome a four-minute scoring drought late in the second half succumbing to CCNY, 73-66, on Monday night. Megan Moran led St. Joseph's with a career-high 23 points while Samantha Retas added her sixth double-double of the year.

St. Joseph's looks to get back in the win column after dropping two home games in a row to fall to one over .500. The Lady Bears look for a repeat of last year where they went on to win eight of nine to close the season, beginning that stretch nearly a year ago.

Kelly McNamee continues to lead a quartet of Lady Bears who score in double figures, pouring in 12.3 points per game. The senior is coming off a solid 12-point night on 5-of-11 (45.5 percent) shooting against CCNY on Monday and has scored in double figures in all but four of St. Joseph's games this season.

Stepping up for the Lady Bears as of late is Moran who is averaging 16.3 points per game over the last three games to up her scoring average to 10.1 points per game. The senior is coming off a career night that saw her score a career-high 23 points and dish out a career-high six assists.

Raccuglia and Retas add to the Lady Bears firepower, averaging 11.1 and 10.0 points per game, respectively. The duo uses their length and anticipation to disrupt their opponents shot attempts, with Retas leading the team with 2.5 blocks per game and Raccuglia backing her up with 2.3 blocks per game. Retas also averages a team-high 10.6 rebounds per game while Raccuglia adds 7.9 boards per game.

Scouting the Patriots

Last Time Out: Valley Forge was held to their lowest shooting percentage of the season, going just 9-of-45 (20 percent) from the field on their way to a 71-21 loss to Lancaster Bible College on Monday.

Valley Forge has lost eight games in a row since picking up their lone win of the season. The Patriots struggle both offensively and defensively as can be witnessed by their scoring average of 39.2 points per game and -41.0 scoring margin.

Leading Valley Forge in scoring is Mikala Brinson who is the lone Patriot to average double figures with 15.5 points per game. The freshman also leads the team with 2.4 assists per game and has connected on a team-high 27 trifectas.

Amanda McGinness also provides support with 7.6 points per game while Ariene Ohimor chips in 5.0 points per game and snags a team-high 12.8 rebounds per game.

Did You Know?

St. Joseph's has not had a losing record in the month of January since 2009. The Lady Bears currently stand at 1-3 this January.

Team Comparison

Lady Bears	Nickname	Patriots
8-7 (1-0)	Record	1-12
HVIAC	Conference	NCCAA
Roster | Schedule | Statistics	Team Info	Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Kelly McNamee (12.3)	Top Pts.	Mikala Brinson (15.5)
Samantha Retas (10.6)	Top Reb.	Ariene Ohimor (12.8)
Kristin D'Chiutiis (3.4)	Top Ast.	Mikala Brinson (2.4)
60.4 (+0.0)	Scoring	39.2 (-41.0)
38.2%	FG %	25.8%
63.8%	FT %	56.0%
26.9%	3FG %	20.8%
46.3 (-2.3)	Rebounds	33.9 (-16.4)
16.1	Assists	6.2
20.7 (-4.7)	Turnovers	27.2 (-10.3)
6.4	Steals	5.9
6.2	Blocks	1.4