Women’s Basketball Takes on Farmingdale and Sarah Lawrence to Open 2018

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Following a non-conference loss to Brooklyn College their last time out, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team opens the new year with two Skyline matchups in the first week. First is a road battle with Farmingdale State College on Wednesday (Jan. 3) followed by a showdown with Sarah Lawrence College at home on Saturday (Jan. 6).

Wednesday, Jan. 3 at 4 p.m.
at Farmingdale State

Opponent's Info: Roster | Schedule | Stats
Coverage: Video | Live Stats

Previously

• In their last conference game, the Bears picked up a 10-point road win (69-59) over Yeshiva (Dec. 14) on the back of a career-high 31 points (7 reb, 6 stl) from freshman Kelly O'Donnell (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep). Subsequently, they dropped back-to-back non-league tilts first to Army (Dec. 16) then to Brooklyn (Dec. 30). Now, St. Joseph's sits at 5-7 overall (3-2 Skyline) good for fifth place in the standings.
• Despite a 5-7 overall record, the Rams are 4-1 in the Skyline and are knotted in a three-way tie for second place entering the week. Previous to their most recent outing, a seven-point loss to Albertus Magnus, FSC won three-straight games (all Skyline) featuring two 25+ point victories.

Keys to the Contest

• Forcing Farmingdale to cough up the basketball will be very difficult for the Bears as FSC leads the league in turnover margin (a whopping +11.5) in conference play. Ball control is the name of the game for the Rams and they tend to make the most of each and every offensive possession considering their top-5 ranking in FG% (37%) in Skyline games. For the Bears, rebounding and effective three-point shooting need to be the focus in order to come out on top of one of the league's finest. Additionally, a quality game from junior captain Victoria Porcasi (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) is absolutely necessary, as the Skyline's fifth-leading scorer (17.3 ppg) is coming off a game-high 22 points vs. Brooklyn.

History

• In their last matchup (2016-17), SJC broke a four-game losing streak to Farmingdale to improve to 2-4 all-time against the Rams.

Saturday, Jan. 6 at 2 p.m.
vs. Sarah Lawrence

Opponent's Info: Roster | Schedule 
Coverage: Video (play-by-play: Michael Kerr) | Live Stats | Program/Notes

Previously

• The Gryphons have struggled mightily in their first season as a member of the Skyline Conference, currently holding a 1-7 (0-4 Skyline) record placing them at the bottom of the league standings. Their lone victory on the year came in the season-opener, a 67-11 beatdown of Cooper Union at home. Besides their season-opening victory, Sarah Lawrence has dropped every game by a wide margin, except for a 63-62 loss to Vaughn (Dec. 2).

Keys to the Contest

• Offensively, SLC is led by junior guard Taryn Penna whose 18.1 points per game are good for third in the league entering the week. Penna has only attempted one trey all season, however, so sagging off and playing her drive should be the strategy for the Bears. Aside from Penna, rookie guard Tess Carrier is the next viable scoring threat for the Gryphons, averaging 8.9 ppg through eight games. Carrier also hits the glass hard for her 5-foot-5 stature, corralling an average of 7.3 rebounds per game. If St. Joseph's can contain these two, they should be able to please The Hill Center faithful with a victory.

History

• Saturday will be the first-ever meeting between the two programs.