Women’s Basketball Falls in Skyline First Round to Farmingdale State

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — The sixth-seeded St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team led by as many as seven in the first half, but a slow second-half start allowed third-seeded Farmingdale State College to take a 68-46 victory in the first round of the Skyline Conference Championship.

The Bears conclude their season at 11-15, while the Rams advance to meet second-seeded Old Westbury in the semifinals on Thursday.

The Basics

• Final Score: No. 3 Farmingdale State 68, No. 6 St. Joseph's 46
• Records: Farmingdale State (15-11, 13-5), St. Joseph's (11-14, 9-9)
• Location: Farmingdale, N.Y. — Walter A. Lynch Sports Center
• SJC Brooklyn Starters: Porcasi (G) O'Donnell (G) O'Neill (G) Raccuglia (F) Staab (C)

Turning Point

• A suffocating Ram defense held the Bears to just two field goals for over 16 minutes to start the second half and SJC couldn't cut into the double-digit deficit.

How It Happened

• The Rams opened the game up with a 10-2 advantage, but the Bears stormed back with 11 straight points. SJC clamped down on defense, holding the Rams to 17 percent shooting and swatting away five shots to lead 15-12 at the first break.
• After Alexis Antonacci's trifecta put the Rams back on top 20-19 (6:14), Kelly O'Donnell drained back-to-back trifectas followed by a Victoria Porcasi jumper that gave the Bears their largest lead of the game, 27-20 (4:08). But the Rams took a one-point lead into the lockers outscoring SJC 9-2 over the final four minutes.
• A low-scoring third quarter saw both teams struggle early, but the Rams pulled away to a double-digit advantage outscoring the Bears 21-5 in the frame and led by double digits the rest of the way.

For the Bears 

• Junior Victoria Porcasi (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) led the Bears with 16, shooting 7-for-11 from the charity stripe, with five rebounds.
• Freshman Kelly O'Donnell (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) finished her rookie campaign on a 24-game streak scoring in double figures, netting 13 points with seven rebounds.
• Junior Kellie O'Neill (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) chipped in eight points, seven rebounds and four assists in a solid all-around effort.
• Graduate Taylor Raccuglia (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) matched a career-high with six blocks and concludes her career as SJC's all-time blocks leader with 193. She also pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds.

Inside the Box Score 

• Both teams shot below 30 percent for the contest, but the Rams used a 7-of-17 shooting effort (41%) in the third quarter to pull away.
• The Bears handed out 11 assists on 15 field goals. The Rams had just three assists on 22 field goals.
• The Rams forced 25 Bears miscues and coughed up the ball just nine times to lead 23-11 in points off turnovers.
• Kaelyn Ward led three Rams in double-figures with a 17-point, 24-rebound double-double.

The Bear Facts

• This marks the Bears second appearance in the Skyline Conference Championship (last 2016), both first-round losses.
• Finishing with 11 wins overall, the Bears post their first double-digit win campaign since 2014-15.