Women’s Basketball Finds No Love From Sage in Playoff Push

ALBANY, N.Y. — Needing a much-needed victory to hold their own fate to earn a spot in the Skyline Conference Championships, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team suffered a 74-53 setback to The Sage Colleges on Valentine's Day.

Junior Destiny Marino (Howard Beach, N.Y./Christ the King) and reigning Rookie of the Week Lauren Quesada (Westbury, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) both tallied a game-high 16 points to pace the Bears in defeat.

The Basics

• Final Score: Sage 74, St. Joseph's 53
• Records: Sage (16-8, 12-5), St. Joseph's (8-15, 6-10)
• Location: Albany, N.Y.
• Arena:  Kahl Gymnasium
• SJC Starters: Marino (G), Simon (G), Porcasi (G), Quesada (F), Candelaria (F)

Turning Point

• The Gators raced out to a 12-1 lead to open the game, holding the Bears without a field goal over the opening nine minutes.

How it Happened

• Despite making just one field goal in the first period, SJC shot 5-of-6 from the charity stripe to remain within reach as the hosts shot under 30 percent and led 14-7 at the first break.
• St. Joseph's pulled within five on multiple occasions in the second, before Sage outscored the Bears 7-1 over the final four minutes to carry a 27-16 lead into the lockers.
• The Bears opened the second half with six unanswered on a Lauren Quesada layup followed by back-to-back Victoria Porcasi layups to pull back within five, but St. Joseph's couldn't chip away at the deficit further and the Gators re-extended to as many as 14 before the end of the quarter and kept their separation in double digits for the rest of the way.

For the Bears

• Junior Destiny Marino shot 7-of-12 from the field to finish with 16 points also grabbing four boards and swiping two steals.
• Three-time Skyline Rookie of the Week Lauren Quesada shared game-high honors connecting on 6-of-7 from the charity stripe and pulling down five caroms.
• Sophomore Victoria Porcasi rounded out three in double figures with 10 points and three rebounds.
• Senior Samantha Simon chipped in seven points and dished out three assists.

Inside the Box Score

• Both teams struggled from distance shooting a combined 2-for-27 (7 percent) from behind the arc. 
• Despite shooting just 12 percent from distance, Sage finished shooting 48 percent (19-27) on their home floor.
• Both squads were equal in points scored in the paint at 40-all.
• Genevieve Schoff led four Gators scoring in double digits with 15 points and a game-high seven rebounds.

The Bear Facts

• With USMMA (7-10) also losing to Mount Saint Mary tonight, the Bears (6-10) remain a half-game behind the Mariners with two games to play. But with USMMA holding the tiebreaker with the season sweep, St. Joseph's will need to win their final two games and USMMA will have to lose their final game vs. SJC Long Island on Saturday for the Bears to clinch the final playoff spot.

Next up for St. Joseph's

With their road schedule complete, the Bears return home to The Hill Center on Thursday, February 16 hosting sibling rivals SJC Long Island at 7 p.m. in a game postponed last week due to the snowstorm. All SJC Brooklyn students in attendance will have a chance to win a Samsung Galaxy Tablet raffled off at the game. Live stats and video with Michael Kerr calling the action will be available on SJCBears.com.