Women's Basketball Looks To Defend New Home Court vs. Sibling Rivals St. Joseph's (L.I.) in East vs. West Matchup

BROOKLYN, N.Y.–Bragging rights are on the line as the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team will help ring in the grand opening of The Hill Center as they welcome sibling campus rival St. Joseph's College (Long Island) for the annual "East vs. West" rivalry doubleheader on Thursday, December 18 at 5:30 p.m. In between both games will be the grand opening ceremonies for The Hill Center.

Game Information

Opponent: St. Joseph's (L.I.) (2-5, Skyline 0-0)

Date/Time: Thursday, December 18 • 5:30 p.m.

Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Arena: The Hill Center
Tickets: SOLD OUT 

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

Quick Links

St. Joseph's (Bklyn): Roster | Schedule | Statistics | Misc. Stats
St. Joseph's (L.I.): Roster | Schedule | Statistics

Storylines

• This is the 21st meeting between the two schools dating back to 1996 and the sixth straight season they have faced off since renewing the rivalry in 2008.
• The Lady Bears are looking to bounce back following their loss in their inaugural game at The Hill Center on December 6th and look to snap a two-game skid.
• In the first USCAA Coaches Poll released last week, St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) is ranked at No. 8.
• This will be the third straight matchup against Skyline opposition, dropping the first two contests. The Lady Bears will leave the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to join the Skyline Conference next season in 2015-16 and both squads will face each other twice in a home-and-home league schedule.
• St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) is led by Samantha Retas, who leads the team in both points (13.8 ppg) and rebounds (13.5 rpg). She has the highest career rebounding average for a Lady Bear in program history with 11 boards per game.
• Through the first six games, the Lady Bears continue to dominate the rebounding front. The team leads all of NCAA Division III with 38 defensive boards per game. The Lady Bears have also distributed the ball well ranking third in assists per game (19.5).
• St. Joseph's (L.I.) (2-6) come into the game losing four of their last five games, including a 70-52 defeat to Lehman College on Tuesday night.
• Jackie Zizzo leads the Golden Eagles with a 10.9 points per game average, the majority of which from three-point range. She has tallied a three-point field goal in all eight games played so far this season.

Series History

The Golden Eagles have the series advantage, leading the Lady Bears 14-6 over 20 previous games. St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) won the last matchup on December 21, 2013 but have lost four of the last five meetings.

Last Meeting

Led by double-doubles from Taylor Raccuglia and Samantha Retas, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) defeated sibling rivals St. Joseph's College (Long Island), 54-40, on December 21, 2013 at Brooklyn Technical High School as part of the "East vs. West" showdown. The win was the first victory over the Golden Eagles since December 5, 2008.

The Lady Bears were led by Raccuglia, who tallied 15 points, 19 rebounds, five blocks and six assists in the team's win. Retas finished with 11 points and 16 rebounds. Senior Megan Moran chipped in six points and nine rebounds.

The Lady Bear Facts

Senior Samantha Retas tops all Lady Bears with an average of 13.8 points per game and is second in the HVIAC in rebounds per game with 13.5 per game. She has four double-doubles on the season, and now has compiled 28 in her career.

Following a 17-point, 15-board performance for her first career double-double against Old Westbury, freshman Destiny Marino leads the team with 4.7 assists per game and is third on the team with 10.2 points per contest. She has accumulated five or more assists in four of the first six contests. Sophomore guard Jamilynn McGowan is second on the team with a scoring average of 10.7 points per contest.

St. Joseph's looks to control the boards each game. The Lady Bears leads all of NCAA Division III with 38 defensive boards per game. Through six games, they have outrebounded their opponents in five of them going 3-2 in those contests.

Lady Bears Last Time Out

St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) was defeated by Old Westbury, 84-72, on December 6th in the inaugural game on Frank P. Carbone Court. Samantha Retas notched her second straight double double, tallying 18 points and a game-high 16 rebounds.

Destiny Marino secured her first career double-double and was three assists shy of a triple-double (17 points, 15 rebounds, seven assists) in a losing effort. Taylor Raccuglia added 13 points to go along with five rebounds and five assists.

Old Westbury would go on 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 put the game out of reach by the start of the second half.

Season of Giving

The Lady Bears have done a tremendous job this season with distributing the ball. They are currently third in all of NCAA Division III averaging 19.5 assists per contest. Destiny Marino leads the team with 4.7 assists per game, while three other teammates (Taylor Raccuglia, Samantha Retas, and Brittany Cervino) each average more than two assists per contest.

Lady Bears Receive Top 10 USCAA Ranking

In the first USCAA Coaches Poll released last week, the Lady Bears were ranked at No. 8. Slightly ahead of them is Apprentice School at No. 7, who will visit The Hill Center on January 10th.

Inside the Eagles Nest

Sophomore guard Jackie Zizzo currently leads the Golden Eagles with 10.9 points per game. She is a big threat from three-point range, currently leading the Skyline Conference with 20 total three-pointers this season and second in the conference shooting 37.7% from beyond the arc. Zizzo tallied a season-high five threes for a 21-point performance in a win over Medgar Evers on November 21.

On the boards, freshman Andrea Iavarone tops St. Joseph's (L.I.) with 6.6 rebounds per game. She also leads the team in field goal percentage and chipped in 8.0 points per game, good for third on the team.

Teddi Petre is the best passer on the team, leading the squad with 4.2 assists per game. The sophomore has had four games with six or more assists this season, including a season-high eight against Medgar Evers.

St. Joseph's (L.I.) Last Time Out

The Golden Eagles struggled from the offensive end shooting just 25 percent and never led in a 70-52 non-conference road loss to Lehman College on Tuesday night. Andrea Iavarone posted a near double-double with 13 points and team-high nine rebounds while Jackie Zizzo shared team-high scoring honors with 13 points, four boards and two assists.

Next Up for the Lady Bears

The Lady Bears will host the College of Staten Island on Tuesday, December 23rd at the Barclays Center. Tip off is at 3:00 p.m. Live stats will be available at SJCBears.com.