O’Donnell and Porcasi Post Career Highs as Women’s Basketball Continues Streak Over SJC Long Island

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Freshman Kelly O'Donnell (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) and junior Victoria Porcasi (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) became the first St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) duo to score 30-plus points in the same game, leading four Bears in double figures as they coasted to a 94-72 home Skyline Conference victory over sibling rivals St. Joseph's College (Long Island) on Tuesday night. 

The Basics

• Final Score: SJC Brooklyn 94, SJC Long Island 72
• Records: SJC Brooklyn (9-12, 7-7 Skyline), SJC Long Island (7-13, Sky 4-9)
• Location: Brooklyn, N.Y. — The Hill Center
• SJC Brooklyn Starters: Porcasi (G) O'Donnell (G) Sequiera (G) Raccuglia (F) Staab (C)

Turning Point

• The Bears held the Golden Eagles to just six points over a 12-minute span across the first and second quarters, turning a two-point deficit into a 26-point lead just before halftime.

How It Happened

• The Golden Eagles gathered an early 5-1 lead and led for most of the early parts of the first quarter before a Victoria Porcasi trey gave the Bears their first lead of the game, 16-13, and they closed the quarter on a 9-0 spurt to take a 22-13 lead at the first break.
• Brooklyn continued the run into the second stanza, opening on a 19-5 run, with another Porcasi triple building a 41-18 advantage at the 4-minute mark. The reigning Skyline Rookie of the Week, Kelly O'Donnell, poured in 23 points before intermission as the Bears carried a 45-23 lead into the lockers.
• Long Island cut the deficit down to 19, 53-34 two-and-a-half minutes into the third, before 10 unanswered from the Bears with five from Porcasi, expanding the cushion to 29, just before the midpoint of the quarter.
• The Bears led by as many as 33 on two different occasions in the fourth before the Golden Eagles made a late surge to cut into the final deficit, outscoring the Bears 25-18 over the final period.

For the Bears 

• Kelly O'Donnell (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) poured in a career-high 35 points (11-17 FG, 11-12 FT) falling one rebound shy of a double-double, grabbing nine boards. Defensively, she added four steals.
• Team captain Victoria Porcasi (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) crossed the 30-point mark for the first time finishing with 31 points (12-19 FG, 3-6 3FG), and dished out six assists to go with six caroms.
• Caitlyn Staab (Lynbrook, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) recorded her second career double-double, scoring 14 points with 11 boards, also swiping three steals.
• Kellie O'Neill (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) rounded out four in double figures chipping in 10 points in 18 minutes off the bench, also dishing out four dimes.

Inside the Box Score 

• The visitors won the rebounding battle, 52-44, but the Bears controlled paint scoring by a 40-18 margin.
• The Bears forced twice as many Golden Eagle miscues (17-8) and outscored LI 22-4 in points off turnovers.
• Led by Andrea Iavarone's triple-double (25 pts, 24 reb, 10 blk), Long Island blocked 12 shots as a team.

The Bear Facts

• Brooklyn takes the seventh straight meeting in the sibling rivalry, their last defeat coming in December 2012.
• O'Donnell becomes the first rookie to tally three 30-point games in a season. She now ranks second in the league in scoring in conference games only, averaging 20.1 an outing.
• The 94 points matched a season high and tied for second most scored by the team in a single game.
• The Bears wore their pink jerseys for the first time this season for breast cancer awareness and raised funds for the Kay Yow Fund.

Next Up for the Bears

• Riding a two-game win streak and back at .500 in league play, the Bears take to the road to face SUNY College at Old Westbury, N.Y. on Thursday (Feb. 8) at 6 p.m.