O’Donnell Drops Career-High 40 Points as Women’s Basketball Cracks Century Mark Against Yeshiva

NEW YORK — For the second time in program history, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team scored 100-plus points in a game; defeating Yeshiva University, 111-74, on Tuesday night from the Nat Holman Gymnasium on the campus of City College.

In the Bears' (13-9, 11-6 Skyline) 37-point victory over the Maccabees (6-15, 3-13 Skyline), Kelly O'Donnell (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) knocked down 40 points to set a new single-game career-high.

With the win, the Bears also clinched a spot in the 2020 Skyline Conference Women's Basketball Championship; their third consecutive playoff appearance.

How it Happened

O'Donnell scored five of the first six points in the opening minute of the game before the Maccabees leveled the score over a minute later. The Bears quickly retook the lead on three points by Deserae Sequeira (Clark, N.J./Arthur L. Johnson). Yeshiva came within one (11-10) with 7:37 left in the period. It would be the closest the hosts would get to the Bears as the navy and gray, guided by O'Donnell's 20 points, went on a 25-4 run to end the first quarter with a 36-14 lead.

Following a jumper by YU's Tehilla Teigman began the second frame, three-pointers by O'Donnell and Samantha Wilber (Island Heights, N.J./Central Regional) led to 11-straight points for the Bears. Wilber and Lauren Duggan (Breezy Point, N.Y./St. Saviour) added the team's 57% shooting from beyond the arc as the period ended with SJC up 59-28.

St. Joseph's continued to find buckets throughout the second half. Emma Kiley (Whitestone, N.Y./Archbishop Mollow), who scored a combined six points in the first half, exploded for a 19-point third quarter. O'Donnell dished out three assists in the period while she, Lauren Quesada (Westbury, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) and Lisa LoSchiavo (Malverne, N.Y./Valley Stream North) combined for seven points in the stanza; giving the Bears an 85-53 edge entering the final 10 minutes of regulation.

O'Donnell capped off her 40-point night with eight in the fourth quarter. The Bears also saw contributions from Gina Hopkins (Astoria, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) and Fatima Monsour (Brooklyn, N.Y./New Utrecht), totaling six points and four boards amongst the two. SJC ended the game with the 111-72 victory; securing a Skyline Championship berth in the process.

For the Bears

• SJC's 111 points equal the program record that was set last season at Sarah Lawrence (Dec. 6, 2018).
• O'Donnell's 40 was the second time she scored over 30 points this season. She shot 14-of-24 in the game.
• Kiley dropped 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting while pulling down 13 boards.
• As a team, the Bears shot an effective 67.6% from the free-throw line (23-of-34) with Quesada scoring eight of her 10 points of the game from the charity stripe.
• Quesada also registered five assists, four rebounds, and a team-leading three steals.
• Jamie Provino (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) scored eight points on four rebounds and dropped a pair of dimes.
• LoSchiavo and Sequeira each logged seven caroms and combined for eight points.
• Monsour's four points were her first points in a Bears uniform.
• All 11 Bears who suited up scored on the night.

Up Next

This Saturday, February 15, the Bears will take part in the Play4Kay game against sibling rivals SJC Long Island. Opening tip from The Hill Center is scheduled for 1 p.m. with live stats and video available on SJCBears.com/live.