Women's Basketball Goes For Third Straight Win Hosting Southern Virginia on Saturday

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – After posting wins over Pratt and York, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team looks for their first 3-0 start in 11 years when they host Capital Athletic foe Southern Virginia University in the second part of a doubleheader with the men's team on Saturday at the Pratt ARC.

Game Information  

Opponent: Southern Virginia University (1-4, 0-0 CAC)
Date/Time: Saturday, November 29 • 4 p.m.

Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Arena: Pratt ARC (Directions)

Coverage: Live stats | Video | Game Program
Play-by-play: Sitesh Shah (@SSWfan)

Quick Links

St. Joseph's: Roster | Schedule | Statistics | Misc. Stats
Southern Virginia:  Roster | Schedule | Statistics

Storylines

• The Lady Bears got their second straight win to begin their 2014-15 campaign with a 76-62 win over York (N.Y.)
• St. Joseph's seeks to start the season 3-0 for the first time since 2003-04. That team started off 4-0 and finished 25-8 and with an appearance in the USCAA National Championships.
• This is the third meeting between the two programs, with Southern Virginia prevailing in the first two contests.
• Early on in the season, St. Joseph's leads all of Division III in both defensive field goal percentage (23.6%) and rebound margin (+30.5).

Series History

This is the third meeting between the two programs, with Southern Virginia prevailing in the first two contests in a series that began in January 2002.

Last Meeting

In their last meeting, St. Joseph's rallied back from a 15-point second half deficit on the road to force overtime, but Southern Virginia would prevail over the Lady Bears 67-61 on November 30th, 2013.

Kelly McNamee led the team with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Taylor Raccuglia secured a game-high 16 rebounds in a losing cause.

The Lady Bear Facts

Against York last Saturday, Samantha Retas recorded a double-double with 18 points and 22 rebounds, while Jamilynn McGowan netted a career-high 20 points. Both lead the team with an average of 13.0 points per game in the two games so far this season. Retas also tops the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) averaging 15.0 boards per game.

Freshman Destiny Marino added eight points and a game-high six assists. She currently leads the HVIAC in assists per game with 5.5 in her first two games.

Lady Bears Last Time Out

St. Joseph's battled back and forth, then erupted with a 16-2 run in the second half to pull away and defeat York (N.Y.), 76-62. The Lady Bears excelled on both sides of the ball, shooting an even 50 percent from the field including 60.7 percent in the second half.

Did You Know?

Following her 25th career double-double against York (N.Y.), senior Samantha Retas is now fourth on the NCAA Division III active leaders averaging 10.9 rebounds per game over her career.

Senior Taylor Raccuglia crossed the 500-point career scoring mark in her third year for the Lady Bears with 11 points on Saturday.

A Knights Tale

The Knights are led by Crystal Cleveland, who leads the team with an average of 11.2 points per game and also provides an inside presence, leading the team with 8.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per contest. Melynda Boren is second on the team with an average of 10.8 points per game in five games.

Today is the final non-conference tune-up for the Knights who open their first season in the Capital Athletic Conference at Marymount (Va.) on Monday.

Southern Virginia Last Time Out

After picking up their first win of the season with a convincing 83-43 triumph over Mid-Atlantic Christian on Saturday, the Knights' second-half rally at home fell short on as they dropped a 69-64 decision to Saint Augustine's University on Tuesday night. Center Crystal Cleveland led all scorers with 14 points.

Next Up for the Lady Bears

St. Joseph's kicks off the month of December when they take on Cedar Crest College at Brooklyn Technical High School on Monday the 1st. Please note a new start time of 7:30 p.m.