Staab Scores Career-High 23 as Farmingdale Pulls Away from Women's Basketball

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Returning to The Hill Center to open a three-game homestand, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team received 20-point efforts from Victoria Porcasi (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) and Caitlyn Staab (Lynbrook, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) and double-doubles from Staab and Kelly O'Donnell (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) but Farmingdale State countered with a pair of 20-point efforts of their own to take an 87-74 Skyline Conference victory on Tuesday night. 

The Basics

• Final Score: Farmingdale State 87, St. Joseph's 74
• Records: Farmingdale State (10-10, 9-5), St. Joseph's (7-12, 5-7)
• Location: Brooklyn, N.Y. — The Hill Center
• SJC Starters: Sequeira (G), Porcasi (G), O'Donnell (G), Raccuglia (F), Staab (C)

Turning Point

• An 18-0 run by the Rams in the second quarter ballooned their lead to its largest point just before the intermission.

How It Happened

• The visitors scored the first eight points of the contest to put the Bears at an early deficit before responding with a 15-3 spurt powered by six points from Staab and Porcasi's trifecta putting SJC up 15-11 at the 5-minute mark. But the Rams used a swarming full-court press that swiped seven steals and forced eight turnovers over the first 10 minutes to put them up 27-20 at the first break.
• Farmingdale maintained their pressure in the second stanza, forcing eight more turnovers, holding the Bears scoreless for nearly eight minutes to build an insurmountable lead and leading 50-27 headed into the lockers.
• Trailing by as many as 29 in the third, the Bears started to chip away at the deficit until the final buzzer. A Samantha Wilber (Island Heights, N.J./Central Regional) triple with 5:52 to play capped an 8-1 run that brought the Bears within 14.
• Later in the period, a 9-0 Bears spurt over three-minutes—highlighted by three-point plays from Staab and O'Donnell—pulled SJC within 10, but their comeback bid ran out of time.

For the Bears

• Porcasi crossed 20 points for the ninth time this season, netting 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting (5-10 3FG) with five dimes
• Staab recorded her first career double-double with a career-high 23 points on 11-of-15 shooting paired with 11 rebounds.
• O'Donnell registered her second straight double-double and team-leading sixth of the season with 14 points, 13 rebounds, also dishing out three assists.

Inside the Box Score

• SJC won the battle of the boards by a 44-32 margin and outscored the Rams in the paint, 34-18.
• The Bears outshot the visitors 45.5% to 41.2% but the visitors drained 18 three-pointers (40.9%), the most allowed by SJC this season.
• The Rams also swiped 21 steals and forced 25 miscues for a 32-14 in points off turnovers.

The Bear Facts

• Despite the loss, the Bears remain tied for fifth place in the league standings, but now sit in a three-way tie with Mount Saint Vincent (7-9, 5-7) and SJC Long Island (7-10, 4-6)

Next Up for the Bears

• The Bears continue their three-game stretch at home hosting Yeshiva in a Skyline showdown at The Hill Center on Thursday (Feb. 1). Tip-off is slated for 7 pm with live stats and video at SJCBears.com.