Women's Basketball Highlights Successful Play 4Kay Game With Win Over Purchase

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — On Alumni Day and hosting their first Play 4Kay game, five Lady Bears reached double-figure scoring as the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team poured in a program-record 96 points in a comfortable 96-64 Skyline Conference victory over Purchase College on Saturday afternoon.

Freshman Victoria Porcasi's (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) led all scorers with 21 points with five trifectas as the top three-point shooting team in the league rained down a program-record 16 three-pointers, with fans pledging to donate to the Play 4Kay Cancer Fund for each three-pointer made.

The Basics

• Final Score: St. Joseph's 96, St. Purchase 64
• Records: St. Joseph's (6-14, 5-6 Skyline), Purchase (1-18, 1-11 Skyline)
• Date: January 30, 2016
• Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Arena: The Hill Center
• Starters:
  • St. Joseph's: Eddy (G), Marino (G), Simon (G), Porcasi (G), Candelaria (F)
  • Purchase: Uhl (G), Haugh (G), Ortiz (G), Osowiecki (F), Holmes (C)

Turning Point

• Trailing 11-7 midway through the first quarter, the underdog Panthers were hanging tough. But St. Joseph's unleashed a 13-0 run to claim a 24-7 advantage late in the period. The Lady Bears coasted to victory, leading by double digits the rest of the way.

How it Happened

• A 13-0 run in the latter half of the first quarter set the pace for the Lady Bears, giving them an early 24-7 advantage as they closed the opening period leading 26-12.
• St. Joseph's tallied the final seven points of the second stanza to claim their first 20-point advantage and head into the break commanding a 47-25 lead.
• With just six seconds remaining in the third, Kellie O'Neill buried a triple to move the Lady Bears up 77-46. The basket capped a 30-point quarter, 14 of them from Victoria Porcasi, and another 7-0 run to end the period.
• The sides traded baskets in a more competitive fourth, but St. Joseph's coasted to victory after controlling the first three quarters.

For the Lady Bears

• Victoria Porcasi led St. Joseph's with a 21-point effort. The first-year guard hit 5-of-10 from three and corralled five rebounds.
• Almost matching her career-high of 20 set on January 20, senior Erica Eddy dropped 18 on 4-of-6 shooting from downtown.
• Sophomore Destiny Marino compiled her sixth double-double of the season, finishing with 16 points and 13 rebounds.
• Junior Kristin Ferrigno matched her career-best with a 12-point effort off the bench, shooting 5-of-10 from the field and collecting seven boards.
• Senior Brittany Cervino chipped in 10 more off the bench to round out five in double figures.

For the Panthers

• Kristine Viven led four Panthers in double figures with 18 on top of six rebounds.
• Danielle Holmes made 7-of-12 from the field en route to 15 points.
• Allison Haugh added 12 on a pair of triples and collected eight boards.

Inside the Box Score

• The Lady Bears never trailed and drained 16 three-pointers on 44 attempts for a 36.4 percent connect rate. The previous record for made three-pointers was 14 set earlier this season at Lehman.
• St. Joseph's forced 19 turnovers and held the Panthers to just 36.8% (28-of-76) from the field.
• Led by Destiny Marino (13) and Kristen Candelaria (12), the Lady Bears dominated the rebound battle 59-41.

The Bear Facts

• With the Alumni Hoops Day victory, St. Joseph's halts a four-game losing streak.
• Now 5-6 against Skyline opponents, the Lady Bears inch closer to .500 and move into a tie for fifth place with Farmingdale State after Saturday's action.
• St. Joseph's sweeps the season series and improves to a dominant 12-2 in their all-time history against Purchase.

Next up for the Lady Bears

St. Joseph's earns one day of rest before welcoming third-place Mount Saint Vincent to The Hill Center on Monday, February 1 at 5 p.m. to kick off another Skyline Conference doubleheader rescheduled from the blizzard last weekend. Live stats and video will be available on SJCBears.com.