Marino Nets Game-High 22 as Women’s Basketball Opens Season at Division I NJIT

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Junior Destiny Marino (Howard Beach, N.Y./Christ the King) led 10 different Bears to score a point, registering her second straight 20-point game against a Division I foe, but the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) dropped their season opener to NJIT 87-53 on Tuesday night in Newark.

The Basics

• Final Score: NJIT 87, St Joseph's 53
• Records: NJIT (2-0), St. Joseph's (0-1)
• Location: Newark, N.J.
• Arena: Fleisher Athletic Center

Turning Point

• After Destiny Marino's layup opened the scoring just 30 seconds in, NJIT held the Bears scoreless over the next seven minutes and raced out to a 21-2 advantage.

How it Happened

• NJIT found their way into the bonus just three minutes into the first quarter and went on a 21-0 run and built a 29-8 lead after the first quarter.
• Marino scored 12 of her points over the opening 20 minutes with half her points coming from the charity stripe, connecting on 6-of-7.
• Trailing 73-29 entering the final quarter, the Bears closed the game on a positive note as they missed just two shots to finish with an 85 percent connect rate in the quarter (11-of-13) and outscored the Highlanders 24-14 in the period using a 14-2 outburst over five minutes to cut into the final deficit.

For the Bears

• Marino shot 7-of-18 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line to record her game-high 22 points, also grabbing six boards.
• Victoria Porcasi netted nine points with six boards and two assists. The sophomore was a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
• Kristen Candelaria opened her senior campaign matching her career high with four rejections and also chipped in six points and five rebounds.
• In her collegiate debut, Lauren Quesada scored five points, grabbed five boards and dished out three assists in an effective 13 minutes of action off the bench.
• Catherine Drago secured a team-high seven caroms in her collegiate debut and also scored two points.

Inside the Box Score

• SJC was only outrebounded by seven, 46-39, by the larger Highlanders, but the hosts maintained a 25-10 edge on the offensive glass and outscored Bears 52-18 in the paint.

The Bear Facts

• This is the third straight seasons the two squads have met and smallest margin of defeat in the series.
• When the teams met last season, Marino scored a then career-high 24 points.
• The game was broadcast nationally via ESPN3, the first time the team has ever played on the network.

Next up for St. Joseph's

The Bears will return to the Garden State for their next two games, competing in the Ramapo College Tip-Off Tournament. St. Joseph's will face the College of Saint Elizabeth on Friday, November 18. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m. with live stats and video available on SJCBears.com