Women's Basketball Looks to Snap Losing Skid in HVIAC Matchup with Vaughn

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team (7-7, 1-0 HVIAC) will try to snap a two-game losing streak as they host Vaughn College in an Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) matchup. Tip off is at 6:00 p.m. leading a doubleheader with the men.

Game Information

Opponent: Vaughn College (6-3, 1-2 HVIAC)
Date/Time: Wednesday, January 21 • 6:00 p.m.
Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Arena: The Hill Center
Coverage: Live stats | Video | Game Program

Quick Links

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

Storylines

• St. Joseph's is aiming for their fourth straight win against Vaughn, winning the first three matchups.
• Senior Samantha Retas leads the Lady Bears with both 13.4 points per game, and 13.0 rebounds per contest. With her 774 career rebounds, she is currently 19 rebounds away from tying the all-time St. Joseph's rebounding record held by Svetlana Medvedeva (SJC '07).
• Vaughn junior Cianna Peterson is one of the premier scorers in the country, currently averaging 27.3 points per game for Vaughn. The junior guard is third in the United States Collegiate Athletics Association (USCAA) Division II and leads the HVIAC. She is coming off a record-shattering game for the Warriors, tallying 48 points against Davis College on January 12th.
• Peterson and Maia Rivers are a dynamic duo on offense in the backcourt for Vaughn. They're the only two teammates to average 20 or more points in the HVIAC with Peterson tallying 27.3 and Rivers scoring 20.0 points per contest.
• The Warriors are going for their third straight win, defeating Davis College and USCAA opponent Maine-Presque Isle.
• Seniors Retas and Taylor Raccuglia are the two best shot blockers in Lady Bears history. Raccuglia holds a slight 145-144 edge on career blocks, which is currently first and second all time on the St. Joseph's leaderboard.

Series History

St. Joseph's owns a 3-0 series advantage over the Warriors, dating back to the 2011-12 season.

Last Meeting

The Lady Bears had a balanced attack on offense, as all nine players scored in their 67-29 victory over the Warriors on January 27th, 2014 at the Elmcor Recreation Center.

Jennifer Miller recorded her first career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Samantha Retas scored a game-high 11 points while blocking a game-high five shots in only 14 minutes of action. Kristen Candelaria fell three points shy of a double-double, finishing with seven points and a game-high 14 boards.

Lady Bears Probable Starters

• Samantha Retas (F): Retas leads the Lady Bears with 13.4 ppg, along with 13.0 rpg, which ranks her 11th in NCAA Division-III.  She has eight double-doubles on the season, good for second most in the conference.
• Taylor Raccuglia (F): Raccuglia is third on the team with 10.3 ppg, 7.1 rpg, and second on the team dishing off 3.4 apg.
• Destiny Marino (G): Marino ranks second on the Lady Bears with 12.1 ppg, 7.6 rpg, team-best 3.8 apg, and is second in the HVIAC with 42.4% shooting. She has tallied double figures in 12 consecutive contests.
• Brittany Cervino (G): Cervino averages 6.2 points per game and grabs 2.4 rebounds per game. The junior shoots a team-best 76.2% from the free throw line.
• Jamilynn McGowan (G): The sophmore nets 7.2 ppg to go along with 2.3 rpg

The Lady Bear Facts

Senior forward Samantha Retas leads the Lady Bears with an average of 13.4 points per game and is ranked 11th in all of NCAA Division-III with 13.0 rebounds per contest. Her eight double-doubles this season is second in the conference.

Freshman guard Destiny Marino is second on the team with 12.1 points per game, second on the team with 7.6 boards per contest and is sixth in the HVIAC with 3.8 assists per game. The two-time HVIAC Rookie of the Week and one-time Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) Player of the Week also is second in the conference, shooting 42.6 percent from the field.

Taylor Raccuglia is currently is third on the team averaging 10.3 points per game and second on the team with 3.4 assists per game, putting herself in the top 10 of the HVIAC. The senior is coming off a team-high 16 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and swatted four shots for her third double-double of the season against New Jersey City on January 12th. She has now scored double digits in seven games this season for the Lady Bears.

Lady Bears Last Time Out

A second half offensive run allowed New Jersey City University to come back and top the Lady Bears, 63-56, on Monday January 12th. Freshman Destiny Marino led the Lady Bears by tying a career-best with 17 points, eight rebounds and five assists. She now has pushed her streak to 12 straight games scoring in double figures.

Seniors Taylor Raccuglia and Samantha Retas each recorded double-doubles in a losing effort. Raccuglia scored 16 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for her third double-double, while Retas secured her eighth double-double of the season with 11 points and a team-high 13 boards. 

Lady Bears Place in NCAA Stats Rankings 

St. Joseph's College are one of the top defensive teams in the country this season, especially on the glass. Averaging 50.3 total rebounds per game, they continue to lead all of NCAA Division III grabbing 35.0 defensive rebounds per contest. They also hold their opponents to 30.7% from the field, which places them fourth in the country.

Individually, senior Samantha Retas has shown her dominance on the rebounding front this season for the Lady Bears. She is currently 11th in Division III with 13.0 rebounds per game, and fourth in the nation by corraling 10.0 defensive rebounds per contest. 

The Way of the Warrior

Cianna Peterson leads the Warriors on the offensive end. Peterson is currently the leading scorer in both the USCAA Division ll and in the HVIAC, averaging 27.3 points per contest and also grabs 6.9 rebounds per game.

The junior guard recently set new school records for points scored in a game, and also three-pointers made in a single game. Peterson registered 48 points and hit nine three pointers in a win over Davis College on January 12th. With that performance, she earned this week's HVIAC Player of the Week award on Tuesday, the second time this season she has earned the accolade.

Freshman guard Maier Rivers is second on the team and third in the conference, averaging 20.0 points per game while also corralling 6.8 rebounds per contest. Center Alysha Dunlap leads the USCAA Division II, securing 12.9 rebounds per game to go along with 9.4 points per game.

Vaughn Last Time Out

The Warriors defeated USCAA member University of Maine-Presque Isle, 62-55, on Friday, January 16 to improve to 6-3 on the season. Cianna Peterson led all scorers with 27 points and 10 rebounds in the victory.

Maia Rivers contributed 20 points in the game, grabbed five rebounds, and dished out three assists. Alexus Butler added eight points and pulled down nine rebounds. Aiyisha Dunlap chipped in with five points and a team-high 11 rebounds.

Next Up for the Lady Bears – Briarcliffe College

The Lady Bears will continue on their five-game home stand at the Hill Center on Friday, January 23rd when they take on Briarcliffe College. Tip time is at 7:00 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at SJCBears.com.