Women's Basketball Looks for Momentum Against USCAA Rival Briarcliffe

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The No..12 St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team (8-7) will try to string together wins during a six-game homestand in a crucial United States College Athletic Association (USCAA) showdown against No. 13 Briarcliffe College Friday night at The Hill Center. Tip off is set for 7:00 p.m.

Game Information

Opponent: Briarcliffe College (5-7)

Date/Time: Friday, January 23 • 7:00 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. Stat

Briarcliffe: Roster | Schedule | Statistics

Storylines

• The two teams meet with potential USCAA National Tournament implications as the Lady Bears come in ranked No. 12 in the latest USCAA coaches' poll, while the Bulldogs come in right behind them at No. 13.
• The Lady Bears are looking to snap a four-game losing streak in the series against Briarcliffe, their last win coming on February 9, 2010.
• Samantha Retas leads the Lady Bears with both 13.3 points per game, and 13.8 rebounds per contest. She became the St. Joseph's all-time leader in rebounds following her 25 rebounds in the victory over Vaughn.
• Taylor Raccuglia has surpassed her career-best in scoring two different times this season. Her 23 points against Vaughn was two shy of her career-best 25 points against Catholic (Puerto Rico) on January 7th.
• Briarcliffe have lost three of their last four games, losing two straight matchups to Apprentice who defeated the Lady Bears on January 10th. They defeated Berkeley (N.Y.), 73-62, who St. Joseph's will face off on February 2nd.
• Briarcliffe guard Kiara Johnson leads the USCAA Division I with a scoring average of 21.2 points per game.
• The Bulldogs are one of the top teams in the USCAA shooting from beyond the arc. They are averaging a USCAA-best 10.4 three-pointers made, with both Judy Pierre and Kailin Mitchell in the top-10 in three-point percentage.

Series History

Briarcliffe holds a 7-2 advantage in a series that dates back to January 20, 2005. The Bulldogs have won the last four meetings with the last Lady Bears win coming on February 9, 2010.

Last Meeting

Four Lady Bears scored in double figures as the Lady Bears erased a 21-point second-half deficit, before dropping a 74-67 decision to Briarcliffe on February 7, 2014 at Brooklyn Technical High School.

Kelly McNamee scored a team-high 20 points in the victory. Megan Moran recorded a double-double with 15 points, 14 rebounds and also dished out a game-high-tying five assists.

Lady Bear Probable Starters

• Samantha Retas (F): Retas leads the Lady Bears with 13.3 ppg, along with 13.8 rpg, leading the USCAA Division I. She grabbed a St. Joseph's single-game record 25 rebounds against Vaughn and became the college's all-time leader in rebounds with 799.
• Taylor Raccuglia (F): Raccuglia is third on the team with 11.1 ppg, 7.1 rpg, and second on the team dishing off 3.7 apg. The senior is coming off a team-high 23 points against Vaughn, 15 of those in the first half. She has now scored in double figures for eight games this season for the Lady Bears.
• Destiny Marino (G): Marino ranks second on the Lady Bears with 12.4 ppg, 7.7 rpg, team-best 3.8 apg, and is second in the HVIAC with 43.3% shooting. She has tallied double figures in 13 consecutive contests, tying her career-high with 17 points against Vaughn.
• 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 averages 7.0 ppg to go along with 2.3 rpg.

The Lady Bear Facts

St. Joseph's is led by senior Samantha Retas, who leads the team with an average of 13.3 points per game and is leading the USCAA with 13.8 rebounds per contest. The forward has notched nine double-doubles this season is second most in the HVIAC.

Senior forward Taylor Raccuglia is currently is third on the team averaging 11.1 points per game and second on the team with 3.7 assists per game, putting herself in the top 10 of the HVIAC. The senior is coming off one of her best performances of the season against Vaughn. She tallied team-high 23 points and also added six rebounds and seven assists in the victory.

Destiny Marino is second on the team with 12.4 points per game, second on the team with 7.7 boards per contest and is fifth in the HVIAC with 4.0 assists per game. The freshman guard also is shooting efficiently in her first season with the Lady Bears, ranking second in the conference with a 43.3 shooting percentage from the field.

Lady Bears Last Time Out

The Lady Bears jumped out of the gate with an 11-0 run to start the game and led wire-to-wire as they defeated HVIAC rival Vaughn College, 76-57, at the Hill Center Wednesday night.

Samantha Retas secured her ninth double-double of the season with 11 points and a school single-game record 25 rebounds for the Lady Bears. Taylor Raccuglia scored a team-high 23 points, including 15 in the first half, to go along with six rebounds and seven assists in the victory. Destiny Marino tied a career-best with 17 points as well as eight boards and seven assists.

Bear Witness to History

Samantha Retas secured her ninth double-double of the season with 11 points and a school single-game record 25 rebounds in the Lady Bears' win over Vaughn College Wednesday. With the performance, Retas moves into sole possession of first place on the all-time St. Joseph's rebounding record previously held by Svetlana Medvedeva (SJC '07) with 799 total boards. The 25 boards was the sixth-highest total this season in NCAA Division III.

She currently leads the USCAA with 13.8 rebounds per game, and fourth in the nation by corralling 10.4 defensive rebounds per contest. 

Inside the Dog House

Briarcliffe is led by Kiara Johnson, who leads the USCAA Division I with a scoring average of 21.2 points per game. She has had seven games of 20 points or more on the season, including a season-best 33 on January 5th. Johnson also tops the conference with free throws made (81). She also contributes 5.5 rebounds per contest to go along with 5.6 assists per game.

Shemique Hooks is second on the team with 16.9 points per game (ninth in the USCAA) and grabs a team-high 9.8 rebounds per contest. Judy Pierre (11.4 ppg) and Kailin Mitchell (9.7 ppg) are also frequent contributors on the offensive side for the Bulldogs.

All four Bulldogs are deadly from beyond the arc as the team leads the conference with 10.4 three-pointers made. They each average at least 2.4 triples per contest, with Pierre leading the way shooting 40.8% from long range.

Briarcliffe Last Time Out

Briarcliffe fell behind early in the contest and could not battle back as they dropped a decision to USCAA foe Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College, 81-62, as part of the MLK Classic Sunday night.

The Bulldogs had three players in double figures in the defeat, including Kailin Mitchell netting 21 points, all of the points scored on seven three-pointers. Kiara Johnson scored 13 points, while Vikki Castillo added 14 points in the losing effort.

Next Up for the Lady Bears – John Jay

The Lady Bears will continue on their six-game home stand at the Hill Center on Monday, January 26th when they take on John Jay out of the CUNYAC. Tip time is at 7:00 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at SJCBears.com.