First-Place Mount St. Mary Handles Women’s Basketball

NEWBURGH, N.Y. — Despite a lead after the first quarter, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team fell to Mount St. Mary College on Wednesday night. Hot shooting from deep gave the Bears a 27-26 advantage after one period, but the Knights took control in the second and beyond to sustain their first-place ranking in the Skyline Conference.

The Basics

• Final Score: Mount St. Mary 86, St. Joseph's 62
• Records: Mount St. Mary (9-5, 7-1), St. Joseph's (6-9, 4-4)
• Location: Newburgh, N.Y. — Kaplan Center
• SJC Starters: Sequeira (G), Porcasi (G), DiCioccio (G), O'Donnell (G), Staab (C)

Turning Point

• Mount St. Mary ended the second quarter on an 11-0 run to push their halftime lead to 56-39.

How It Happened

• Junior Nina DiCioccio (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) and reigning Skyline Rookie of the Week Kelly O'Donnell (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) carried the Bears in the first, as DiCioccio's nine points (3-4 3FG) and O'Donnell's eight (2-3 3FG) had them up 27-26 after one.
• The Bears would quickly fall behind by double-digits in the second, but a finish from freshman Jolie Rodriguez (Staten Island, N.Y./CSI H.S.) brought them back within six (45-39) at 4:30. However, the hosts 11-0 spurt solidified a 17-point advantage at the break.
• SJC's offense was entirely shut down in the third quarter as it only mustered eight points compared to the Mount's 15. The fourth fared better for the Bears, as they tied MSMC 15-15 behind Taylor Raccuglia (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) and five of her 10 points in the frame, but her squad suffered a one-sided defeat.

For the Bears

• O'Donnell dropped a game-high 20 points (7-17, 5-9) on top of seven boards, three steals, and two dimes.
• DiCioccio poured in 12 (4-8, 4-7) with two rebounds and an assist in just 19 minutes.

Inside the Box Score

• Raccuglia led the visitors' bench with a season-high 10 points to go along with five caroms and a block.

The Bear Facts

• With just eight points, junior Victoria Porcasi's (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) 18-game double-digit scoring streak came to an end.

Next Up for the Bears

• A Skyline matinee at Purchase State College on Saturday (Jan. 13) at noon. Live stats streaming at SJCBears.com.