Women's Basketball Turns Back HVIAC Foe Yeshiva For Sixth Straight Victory, 59-48

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team led wire-to-wire as they defeated Yeshiva, 59-48, in a Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) game Thursday night at the Wellness Center at the College of New Rochelle.

The Lady Bears (13-7, 4-0 HVIAC) have now won six straight games, their longest win streak in four seasons, and maintain their first-place spot in the conference.

Taylor Raccuglia (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) scored a game-high 16 points and five rebounds. Destiny Marino (Middle Village, N.Y./Christ the King) was three steals shy of a triple-double, tallying 12 points along with 10 rebounds and a career-high seven steals. The HVIAC Rookie of the Week has now scored double figures in 17 straight contests.

Sophomore Samantha Simon (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) chipped in with 10 points along with three rebounds and two blocks off the bench. Senior Samantha Retas (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) added seven points and 11 rebounds, while Erica Eddy (Glendale, N.Y./Christ the King) finished with seven points and three boards.

Ester Kerzner led the Maccabees (3-12, 2-3 HVIAC) with 14 points, added six rebounds in a losing cause. Stephanie Greenburg netted 12 points along with eight steals and seven boards, while Julia Owen scored 12 points and seven rebounds of her own. Simee Rosner finished with a game-high 14 rebounds and five blocks for Yeshiva.

In the first half, the Lady Bears got off to an outstanding start jumping out to a 15-3 lead in the first seven minutes of play and would push the lead to as many as 14. Yeshiva would battle back by switching to a zone defense that would help cut the deficit to 28-20 as they headed into halftime.

The second half saw the Lady Bears ramped up their aggression on defense, forcing 13 turnovers while compiling nine second-half steals. They would build their lead back up to as many as 16 points, and would hold on for their sixth straight win.

St. Joseph's played stifling defense all game long, forcing 29 Yeshiva turnovers and scoring 20 points off those turnovers. They also held the Maccabees to just 25.0% percent from the field throughout the game. The Lady Bears dominated down low, winning the points in the paint advantage, 32-14.

The Lady Bears will return home for two games this weekend, playing against King's (N.Y.) Saturday afternoon as part of a doubleheader with the men's team. Tip time for the women's game is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at SJCBears.com.