Breen Goes for Season-High 15 Points as Women’s Basketball Ushers in the New Year in Winning Fashion Against Drew

MADISON, N.J. — In their first game following a three-week hiatus, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team defeated Drew University, 75-69, on Thursday afternoon in their non-conference finale. The Bears led most of the way and by as many as 17 before falling behind with 2:05 to play, but Alexis Breen (Union Beach, N.J./Keyport) powered a 10-2 run with five points to seal the victory.  

With the win, the Bears, now winners of six of their last seven, improve to 6-4 overall while the loss halted the Rangers' three-game win streak as they fall to 8-3 on the year.

How it Happened

Kelly O'Donnell (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) opened her scoring account by netting the first four points of the game. As the Rangers kept things close throughout the first quarter, O'Donnell capped off the period with 13 points to see the Bears head into the second quarter with the 19-14 advantage.

The second stanza started with six Drew points giving them a 20-19 lead. The Bears responded with a trey from Lauren Duggan (Breezy Point, N.Y./St. Saviour) at the 8:23 mark, to go up 22-19. The Rangers held short-lived leads in the period before Duggan, Breen, and Samantha Wilber (Island Heights, N.J./Central Regional) railed off three-pointers as part of 19-3 SJC outburst in the final five minutes to close the half on top, 45-30.

The St. Joseph's lead grew to 17, their largest of the game, early in the third period. Lauren Quesada (Westbury, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) netted a team-leading four points in the quarter while sophomore Jamie Provino (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) saw her first contribution of the game, a three-pointer from the left corner but the hosts chipped away at the Bears lead, but still remained ahead 57-49 entering the fourth quarter.

Breen and Wilber pushed the Bears to an 11-point advantage with 8:46 remaining in regulation. The Rangers used the next six-plus minutes to mount a comeback; holding the Bears to just three points in that span and retaking the lead, their first since the second quarter, at 67-65 with 2:04 remaining. With 1:47 on the clock and the ball in her hands, Breen fired off a deep-range three to swing the advantage back into the Bears' favor, 68-67. It was followed up with another trey by Provino with 1:07 remaining. A made Drew layup saw their deficit cut in half before Breen iced the game from the charity stripe, sinking both of her free throws. O'Donnell closed out the game with a made layup with 11 seconds left, wrapping up a 10-2 run to close the game for a 75-69 triumph.

For the Bears

• Breen drained three three-pointers to score a season-high 15 points. She also dished out three assists.
• O'Donnell finished the game with a team-leading 18 points. The senior also pulled down eight rebounds.
• Quesada totaled 14 points and eight boards.
• Wilber scored 10 points, reaching double figures for the second time this season.

Up Next

Skyline Conference play resumes for the Bears as they travel to Purchase College on Saturday, January 4. Tipoff is scheduled for 12 pm with live stats and video available on SJCBears.com/live.