Raccuglia Earns AD3I & USCAA Honors; Marino Named HVIAC Rookie of the Week

BROOKLYN, N.Y.—St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) senior Taylor Raccuglia (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) was named the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) and Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) women's basketball Player of the Week, while freshman Destiny Marino (Middle Village, N.Y./Christ the King) was tabbed as the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) Rookie of the Week as they helped the Lady Bears to a 2-0 week for the week ending January 25. 

Raccuglia averaged 26.5 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game while shooting 61.1 percent from the field, as the Lady Bears were victorious in both games this past week. The senior tallied 23 points to go along with six boards and seven assists in St. Joseph's victory over Vaughn on January 21st. She followed that up with a career-high 30 points in St. Joseph's 94-71 victory over Briarcliffe, corralling nine rebounds and dishing out seven assists, flirting with a triple-double as the Lady Bears also set a new single-game scoring mark.

The freshman Marino averaged 17.5 points per game along with 7.5 assists and 6.0 rebounds per contest. She has now scored double figures in 14 consecutive contests, averaging 13.6 points per contest during the streak. In the HVIAC win over Vaughn, Marino tied her career high with 17 points and added eight rebounds and seven assists. She then surpassed her career high with 18 points and eight assists in St. Joseph's win over Briarcliffe.

For Raccuglia, this is the first time this season she has earned a weekly award and the fifth time in her career. She last won USCAA and AD3I honors on January 7, 2014. Marino now has four weekly accolades over her first season in a St. Joseph's uniform, and the third time the HVIAC has honored Marino for Rookie of the Week this season.

The Lady Bears will go for their third straight win at home when they host borough rival Medgar Evers College on Wednesday as part of a doubleheader with the men's team. Tip time for the women's game is at 7:30 p.m. Live stats and video coverage will be at SJCBears.com.