Old Westbury Defeats Women's Basketball to Spoil Hill Center Debut

BROOKLYN, N.Y.  – Old Westbury dominated on the inside throughout the game as they defeated the St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) women's basketball team, 84-72, in the inaugural game on Frank P. Carbone Court at The Hill Center on Saturday night.

Despite the disappointing loss, the Lady Bears (3-3) second straight, it was a momentous day for the St. Joseph's College Athletic Department, welcoming a packed crowd to their long-awaited, brand-new home. Among the many family, friends and fans in attendance, were Dr. Jack P. Calareso, new SJC President and Sr. Elizabeth Hill, the former SJC President whom the building was named after. 

Samantha Retas (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) notched her second straight double-double, her fourth this season, with 18 points and a game-high 16 rebounds in a losing effort. Destiny Marino (Queens, N.Y./Christ the King) was three assists shy of a triple-double with career-highs in both points (17) and rebounds (15) to go along with seven assists.

Taylor Raccuglia (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) chipped in with 13 points, five rebounds and five assists.

The Panthers (4-3) were led by Jasmine Robinson, who netted a game-high 24 points. Three other Old Westbury players scored in double figures, including Crystal Barnes who recorded a double-double (13 points and 14 rebounds). Raven Pentz (14 points) and Clarissa Gallagher (12 points) contributed with two three-pointers apiece in the win.

The senior Retas christened the Hill Center with the first-ever basket on a layup 54 seconds into the game. The first half went back and forth, seeing three ties and seven lead changes in the stanza.

Leading 25-22 with 07:53 left in the first, the Panthers would then go off for a 9-0 run in less than two minutes to go up double digits. After cutting the lead within seven, the Lady Bears would allow a 12-1 run to go into halftime behind 46-28.

In the second half, the Panthers would continue to build their lead, tallying 22 points in the paint during the half to balloon their lead to as many as 22 points. St. Joseph's would continue to battle until the end, chipping the deficit away to 12 points before the final buzzer.

Throughout the contest, Old Westbury outscored the Lady Bears 44-26 in the paint and tallied 20 fast break points. They also forced 29 St. Joseph's turnovers, and scored 27 points off those mishaps. In defeat, the Lady Bears controlled the rebounding game with a 60-46 advantage.

The Lady Bears will take a one-and-a-half week break for finals and will return to action on Thursday, December 18th for the most anticipated game of the season against sibling and future Skyline Conference rivals St. Joseph's (Long Island) as part of the annual East vs. West doubleheader.

The women tip-off the doubleheader at 5:30 p.m. with the men at 7:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available on SJCBears.com.