Double-Doubles From O’Donnell and Kiley Not Enough as SJC Long Island Slips Past Women’s Basketball

PATCHOGUE, N.Y. —  In a game separated by two possessions for most of the first 30 minutes, St. Joseph's College (Long Island) used a big fourth quarter to hand St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) a 92-76 setback in Skyline Conference women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon at the Danzi Center.

Senior Kelly O'Donnell (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) and junior Emma Kiley (Whitestone, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) led five in double figures for the Bears (1-5, 1-2 Skyline) combining for 38 points and 35 rebounds.

How It Happened

The Bears scored the first six points of the contest for an early lead before a 9-0 run later put the Golden Eagles (5-2, 3-2) on top 13-8 and they led by as many as seven before holding a 21-16 lead at the first break.

After falling behind by eight to open the second stanza, a Grace Kennedy (Maspeth, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) trifecta sparked a 9-0 run —  powered by five points from Kennedy and four from Kiley —  that put the Bears ahead 25-24. Brooklyn led 31-27 with 2:30 until intermission before the hosts closed the period with seven unanswered to take a 34-31 lead into the lockers.

A pair of Long Island free throws to open the third extended the run to nine unanswered, but Brooklyn countered with an 8-2 run keyed by triples from Jamie Provino (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) and Alexis Breen (Union Beach, N.J./Keyport) to regain the lead 39-38. The lead traded hands several times in the quarter and the Bears led by as many as six, 50-44, before trailing 56-54 headed into the final frame.

The hosts pulled away in the fourth, scoring 20 points in the opening four minutes to build a double-digit advantage. O'Donnell would finish with eight points and seven rebounds in the period but couldn't keep pace with their sibling rivals as they shot 52 percent (13-25) en route to a 36-22 discrepancy in the deciding frame.

For the Bears

• O'Donnell posted team highs of 20 points and 18 rebounds for her 37th career double-double to lead the Bears in defeat.
• Kiley followed with 18 points and 17 rebounds along with three rejections.
• Breen and Provino both drained four three-pointers for 12 points each. Breen dished out a game-high-tying five assists and grabbed two boards while Provino secured four caroms and swiped a pair of steals.
• Kennedy turned in her fourth game in double-figures scoring 10 points off the bench with six rebounds.
• The Bears suffered their first loss to the Golden Eagles in 13 meetings dating back to December 2013.

Next Up

The Bears return to the comforts of The Hill Center on Tuesday, December 7 for their final home game of 2021 hosting defending champion United States Merchant Marine Academy in a Skyline Conference battle starting at 7 p.m. Live stats and video will be available on SJCBears.com/live.