Four In Double Figures Not Enough as Old Westbury Bypasses Women's Basketball in Skyline First Round

OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. — Despite a 35-point fourth quarter outburst and sophomore Destiny Marino's (Middle Village, N.Y./Christ the King) 20-point, 12-rebound double-double, the No. 6-seeded St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team was unable to recover from a seven-point third quarter and succumbed 82-72 to No. 3-seed Old Westbury on Tuesday night in the opening round of the Skyline Conference Championship.

The Basics

• Final Score: Old Westbury 82, St. Joseph's 72
• Records: Old Westbury (21-5, 13-3 Skyline), St. Joseph's (7-19, 6-10 Skyline)
• Date: February 23, 2016
• Location: Old Westbury, N.Y.
• Arena: Clark Athletic Center
• Starters:
  • St. Joseph's: Eddy (G), Marino (G), Simon (G), Porcasi (G), Candelaria (F)
  • Old Westbury: Ilardi (G), Pentz (G), Robinson (G), McNeill (F), Barnes (F)

Turning Point

• The Lady Bears rattled off nine straight points to gain their first advantage of the game midway through the second period and appeared to head into the lockers deadlocked, but the Panthers ran off seven points in the final 34 seconds of the half and scored the first seven points of the third period and kept the lead in double digits the rest of the way.

How it Happened

• A 6-0 spurt, including four free-throws, saw the Panthers claim an early 8-2 advantage.
• Victoria Porcasi connected from downtown to cut the deficit to 14-10 with 4:48 left in the first quarter. Destiny Marino closed the stanza with a pair of the free-throws, making it 22-18 as the Lady Bears battled to keep the Panthers within striking distance.
• St. Joseph's recorded the first seven points of the second quarter while holding Old Westbury scoreless for the first 3:53 to claim a 25-22 advantage.
• The Panthers found their stroke late in the period, netting seven points in a frantic final 34 seconds to enter the break leading 37-30.
• Old Westbury carried their momentum into the new half, scoring the first seven points of the third quarter to complete a 14-0 run as their advantage ballooned to 44-30.
• Kellie O'Neill beat the buzzer from beyond the arc to end the third, but St. Joseph's steep deficit still stood at 56-37.
• The Lady Bears exploded for 35 points in the final stanza, led by 10 from Destiny Marino, but Old Westbury netted 26 to keep pace and fight off a comeback.

For the Lady Bears

• Destiny Marino led the Lady Bears with 20 points, 10 of them in the fourth quarter, and 12 boards for her second consecutive double-double and ninth of her sophomore campaign.
• Freshman Victoria Porcasi contributed 18, finishing 3-of-8 from three-point range, and added three caroms and a pair of thefts.
• Freshman Kellie O'Neill dropped 14, one shy of her career-best, in just 14 minutes off the bench thanks to a 4-of-6 performance from behind-the-arc.
• Senior Erica Eddy scored 12 and distributed a game-high five dimes, finishing her career with 467 points in a Lady Bears uniform.
• Junior Kristen Candelaria controlled nine rebounds and added five points.

For the Panthers

• Bridgid McNeill powered her way to a 16-point, 13-rebound double-double.
• Jasmine Robinson dropped 16 as well on 10-of-15 shooting from the free-throw line.
• Monique Joseph contributed a 13-point, 10-board double-double off the bench.

Inside the Box Score

• St. Joseph's outshot their opponent, finishing 24-of-61 (39.3%) from the field. But Old Westbury was more active on offense, putting up 82 shot attempts and connecting on 28 for a 34.1 percent connect-rate.
• The Panthers were busy on offense thanks to a dominant 63-36 rebound discrepancy. This led to a 23-4 advantage in second-chance-points.
• The Lady Bears accounted for almost half of their points in a 35-point fourth quarter outburst. It was the most points scored by the team in a quarter this season.

The Bear Facts

• Old Westbury improves their record to 14-9 in the all-time series, including three double-digit victories this season.
• Despite the season-ending loss, the Lady Bears will look to build on a Skyline Championship berth in their inaugural season in the conference.