Women's Basketball Seeks Second Conference Championship in Three Years at HVIAC Tournament This Weekend

ALBANY, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team will aim for their second Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) title in three years as the No. 2 seed Lady Bears take on No. 3 New Rochelle Saturday night in the semifinals at Albert M. White Gymnasium on the campus of Albany Pharmacy. Tip time is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. The winner will face either No. 1 Albany Pharmacy or No. 4 Berkeley in the finals Sunday at 4:00 p.m.

Game Information

Saturday, February 21st - Semifinals

6:00 p.m.: No. 1 Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (14-7, 5-1 HVIAC) vs. No. 4 Berkeley College (13-9, 4-2 HVIAC)

8:00 p.m.: No. 2 St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) (15-10, 5-1 HVIAC) vs. No. 3 College of New Rochelle (11-9, 4-2 HVIAC)

Sunday, February 22nd

4:00 p.m.: Championship

Location: Albany, N.Y.


Arena: Albert M. White Gymnasium

Coverage: Live Stats 

Quick Links

St. Joseph's (Bklyn): Roster | Schedule | Statistics | Misc. Stats
New Rochelle: Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Berkeley: Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Albany Pharmacy: Roster | Schedule | Statistics

Storylines

•  The Lady Bears have won five titles in their school's history, their last win coming in 2012-13 when they defeated Albany Pharmacy 57-43.
•  This is the matchup of last year's HVIAC Championship, where the Blue Angels captured their first-ever conference title over the Lady Bears, 62-47.
• The College of New Rochelle is going for their second consecutive title, winning their first-ever championship last season.
•  The Lady Bears have met Albany Pharmacy in the title game in four of the last five years, with the two teams each picking up a pair of wins.
•  Berkeley College is seeking to win their first ever conference title.

Series History

Vs. New Rochelle: The Lady Bears have an 18-7 lead in the all-time series against New Rochelle, including a span of 16 straight victories. They have met the Blue Angels in last season's HVIAC championship, where they were defeated 62-47.

Vs. Albany Pharmacy: St. Joseph's holds an 11-9 edge in the all-time series that goes back to 1996, with the Lady Bears winning the last two games including a win in the 2012-13 HVWAC Championship.

Vs. Berkeley: St. Joseph's owns the series edge against Berkeley, going 7-1, which dates back to January 29, 2011.

Last Meeting

Vs. New Rochelle: In their last meeting, the Lady Bears rallied from ten points down in the second half as they defeated the College of New Rochelle, 66-50, in their regular season finale Tuesday night at the Hill Center.

Taylor Raccuglia tallied a double-double, scoring a team-high 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Samantha Retas recorded her 12th double-double with 16 points and 11 boards.

Freshman Destiny Marino chipped in with 11 points and nine rebounds. Erica Eddy came off the bench and poured in a season-high 11 points.

Vs. Albany Pharmacy: St. Joseph's were edged out by Albany Pharmacy, 54-49, on February 14th at the Albert M. White Gymnasium in Albany.

Destiny Marino scored a team-high 13 points along with six rebounds, three steals and three assists. Samantha Retas added nine points and a team-high nine boards in a losing effort.

Vs. Berkeley: The Lady Bears played suffocating defense as they topped Berkeley (N.Y.), 59-44 on February 3rd at the Hill Center.

Taylor Raccuglia tallied a double-double, scoring a game-high 23 points along with 13 rebounds and five assists. Destiny Marino chipped in with 14 points and seven rebounds.

The Lady Bear Facts

Taylor Raccuglia leads the Lady Bears' balanced offense with 12.9 points per game, which is ninth in the conference, along with 7.4 rebounds per contest and dishing off 3.6 assists per game (sixth in the HVIAC). The senior is also shooting 42.3% from the field, putting her at third in the conference.

Her senior counterpart Samantha Retas is third on the team with 12.4 points per game, and leads the Lady Bears with 12.6 rebounds per contest. Her 12 double-doubles this season is ranked second in the conference. 

Freshman Destiny Marino is second on St. Joseph's with 12.4 points and is second with 7.4 boards per contest. The freshman also is ranked first in the HVIAC with both 4.4 assists per game and hits 45.1% of her shot attempts.

Bear Witness to History

Samantha Retas is on the verge of hitting even more milestones as the season nears its end. Already the all-time school leader in total rebounds, the senior needs 12 points to reach the coveted 1,000 point scoring club and needs 22 rebounds to reach the 1,000 rebound plateau.

Lady Bears Last Time Out

The Lady Bears rallied from ten points down in the second half as they defeated the College of New Rochelle, 66-50, in their regular season finale Tuesday night at the Hill Center.

Taylor Raccuglia tallied a double-double, scoring a team-high 19 points and 14 rebounds, while Samantha Retas recorded her 12th double-double with 16 points and 11 boards. Destiny Marino chipped in with 11 points and nine rebounds. Erica Eddy came off the bench and poured in a season-high 11 points.

Angel Dustings

The Blue Angels are led by Jah-Leah Ellis, who is second in the HVIAC with 19.6 points per game. The five-time HVIAC Player of the Week is also ranked first in the conference in free throws made (102), rebounds per game (15.5 rpg) and second in field goal percentage (43.3%).

Alyssa Pechin scores 15.1 points per game, which is second on the team and sixth in the conference. She also tied for second with 3.9 assists per game and 3.3 rebounds per contest. Hannah Cambel averages 11.5 points each game, while Caitlin Harrison grabs 7.6 rebounds per game (second on the team) to go along with 6.2 points.

College of New Rochelle Last Time Out

The Blue Angels gave up a double-digit lead in the second half as they were defeated by St. Joseph's, 66-50, in their regular season finale Tuesday night at the Hill Center.

Jah-Leah Ellis led the Blue Angels with a double-double, scoring a game-high 20 points, including 14 for 16 from the charity stripe, and grabbing a game-high 23 rebounds. Alyssa Pechin netted 19 points in a losing cause, including hitting four three-pointers.

On the Prowl

The Panthers are led by Alexa Schooley, who ranks eighth in the conference with 13.8 points per game and adds 7.1 rebounds and a team-best 3.4 assists per game. She is one of the top free throw shooters in the HVIAC, connecting on 72.4% from the free-throw line (second in the conference).

Taylor Sullivan is second on the team (tenth in the HVIAC) with 12.6 points per contest and grabs 7.3 rebounds as well. Megan Serley adds 12.1 points per game, which is third on Albany Pharmacy along with 3.7 rebounds. Dannie Griffin is fourth in the HVIAC with 9.8 rebounds per game and scores 8.3 points per contest.

Albany Pharmacy Last Time Out

The Panthers shot an incredible 62.9% from the field throughout the game as they defeated SUNY Delhi on the road, 65-45, on February 15th.

Alexa Schooley led all scorers with 22 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Dannie Griffin (14 points, 13 rebounds) and Taylor Sullivan (10 points, 10 rebounds) each recorded double-doubles in the victory.

A Knight's Tale

The Knights are led by junior Champagne Hazel, who is one of the best newcomers in the HVIAC this season. She leads the team with 18.2 points per game which ranks fourth in the conference while also swiping a HVIAC-leading 4.1 steals per game. Hazel also grabs 5.6 rebounds and dishing 3.4 assists per game.

Janay Thomas adds 12.0 points per game, ranks second in the conference with 3.6 steals and is tied for first with 3.8 helpers per game, which puts her fifth in the conference.

Berkeley (N.Y.) Last Time Out

The Knights dropped a decision to loss to the College of New Rochelle 57-48, on February 15th at the CNR Wellness Center in New Rochelle.

Janay Thomas scored a team-high 16 points while connecting on three triples. She also grabbed six rebounds and added a pair of assists as well. Champagne Hazel finished with 15 points, five rebounds, and four steals. Patricia Patterson netted nine points while grabbing a team-best 10 rebounds and tallying a game-high five steals.