Women's Basketball Aims to Close Out the Year With Win over CCNY

NEW YORK, N.Y. – After a loss against Staten Island at the Barclays Center, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team (4-4) will look to bounce back as they travel to face CCNY on the road on Saturday afternoon. Tip off is at 12:00 p.m.

Game Information

Opponent: City College of New York (2-6, CUNYAC 1-3)
Date/Time: Saturday, December 27 • 12:00 p.m.
Location: New York, N.Y.
Arena: Nat Holman Gymnasium

Coverage: Live stats

Quick Links

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

Storylines

• St. Joseph's is searching for their third victory over the Beavers, last defeating them on January 26th, 2006.
• The Lady Bears look for their second win against CUNYAC opponents this season, splitting the first two contests against York and Staten Island.
• Senior Samantha Retas has notched the team-high in scoring in five straight contests, averaging 13.8 points per game in the five-game span.
• For her outstanding performance last week, Retas was named as both the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) and the Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) Player of the Week. This is Retas' second time receiving the AD3I award this season and seventh time in her career, and the first HVIAC honor this season.
• Freshman Destiny Marino earned her first weekly award, being tabbed as last week's HVIAC Rookie of the Week after tallying 13 points and three assists against sibling school St. Joseph's (Long Island).
• CCNY is looking for their second straight win on the season following their victory in overtime over CUNYAC rival Hunter College.
• Both the Lady Bears and the Beavers have one common opponent already this season, both playing York (N.Y.). St. Joseph's were victorious on November 22nd, while CCNY dropped the decision on December 5th. They will face off with seven total common opponents this season.
• Karissa Core is in the top-15 in the CUNYAC with 11.3 points per game, and is in the top-10 with 2.8 assists per contest. Both are team-highs for the Beavers this season.

Series History

This is the seventh matchup between the two schools dating back to 1999, with the Beavers owning a 4-2 advantage over the Lady Bears. 

Last Meeting

In their last matchup, the Lady Bears could not overcome a four-minute scoring drought late in the second half succumbing to the City College of New York, 73-66, on January 20, 2014.

Megan Moran led the Lady Bears attack, finishing with a career-high and 23 points, while corralling eight boards and dishing out a career-high six assists. Samantha Retas secured her sixth double-double of the season by way of 17 points and a school-record 21 rebounds. Retas matched a then-school record with six blocks, and added five assists in the loss.

The Lady Bear Facts

Senior Samantha Retas leads the Lady Bears with an average of 14.2 points per game and is second in the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) in rebounds per game with 13.1 per contest. Last week's HVIAC and AD3I Player of the Week is tops in the conference with 2.8 blocked shots per game.

Freshman Destiny Marino is second on the team in scoring with 11.1 points per game. Marino is second on the team with 7.5 boards per game and also is second in the HVIAC with a team-high 4.4 assists per game for St. Joseph's.

 Last week's HVIAC Rookie of the Week also is third in the conference, shooting 44.6 percent from the field.

Junior Jamilynn McGowan has averaged 9.6 points per contest, and is fourth in the conference, shooting an efficient 44.3 percent from the field. Senior Taylor Raccuglia is a great versatile player for the Lady Bears. She is currently averaging 7.5 points, second with 3.6 assists (ranked in the top-10 in the HVIAC) and also grabs 5.5 rebounds per contest. Raccuglia is also third in the conference with 1.9 blocks per game.

Lady Bears Last Time Out

The Lady Bears were defeated by Staten Island, 67-55, at the Barclays Center last Tuesday. Samantha Retas scored a game-high 17 points to go along with seven rebounds. Freshman Destiny Marino also notched her second career double-double, scoring 15 points, grabbed 10 boards and dished four assists. Brittany Cervino rounded out the three Lady Bears in double figures, netting 10 points.

Cleaning the Glass

Through eight games, the Lady Bears are on pace to have their best rebounding season in their program history. They have an average of 53.4 rebounds per game, which tops their previous high of 48.0 in 2012. St. Joseph's are also at the top of the NCAA Division III with 38.0 defensive rebounds per contest. 

Lady Bears Stay at No. 8 Ranking in USCAA Top 10

In the second USCAA Coaches Poll released last week, the Lady Bears stayed put at No. 8.

The Beaver Dam

CCNY are led on the offensive end by senior guard Karissa Core, who tops the team with an average of 11.3 per game. She also dishes out a team-high 2.8 assists per contest, which is good for eighth in the CUNYAC.

Forward Bria Fisher is second on the team with 9.1 points per game to go along with 6.3 rebounds per contest. Junior center Kerniesha Williams has averaged a near double-double for the Beavers, tallying 8.0 points per game and a team-high 8.5 boards which is tenth in the conference.

Transfer junior Robin Daley has tallied 7.9 points per game and is second on the team with 7.4 rebounds. She is coming off season-highs 19 points and 19 caroms in an overtime win over Hunter College. 

CCNY Last Time Out

Down by as much as twelve points in the second half, the Beavers ended regulation on a 14-4 run to force the extra period as they rallied to defeat host Hunter College in overtime, 59-56, on December 12th. Junior Robin Daley recorded a double-double, scoring 19 points along with 19 rebounds in the victory.

Next Up for the Lady Bears - Puerto Rico

St. Joseph's will kick off the new year of 2015 by going down south with three games in Puerto Rico. They will face off with Puerto Rico-Cayey, Sacred Heart (P.R.) and Catholic (P.R.) in different parts of the commonwealth. Tip times are to be determined.