The Bear Facts

Following a three-week holiday hiatus, St. Joseph’s resumes their Skyline slate with a Monday night tilt vs. Old Westbury. It’s also the first time the Bears hit The Hill Center floor in a month. However, unlike their December 7 meeting with USMMA, tonight’s contest will take place behind closed doors.

Prior to the break, SJC took home their second win of the season in a 68-57 triumph over the Panthers. Alexis Breen led a trio of Bears scoring in double figures with 17 points, matching a career-high. Kelly O’Donnell and Emma Kiley each logged 14 points. 

O’Donnell drained her 1,700th career point in the win and she now ranks second among active players in Division III with 1,711 career points. The senior also collected 14 caroms for her seventh double-double of the year, good for seventh in the country. Shooting 7-of-13 from the field, Kiley finished with nine rebounds and four blocks; nearly picking up her fourth double-double of the campaign.

O’Donnell is averaging a double-double on the year thanks to 17.3 points and 12.9 boards per game. The 5-10 guard posts a Skyline-leading 79.2 free-throw percentage and is second in rebounding (109). Kiley leads the league with 2.14 blocks per game while Breen ranks second in assists (42) and third in assists per game (4.7).

Pulse on the Panthers

SUNY Old Westbury rebounded from their defeat to the Bears last month and enters this meeting as winners of their last two. Behind a pair of double-doubles from Ja’Nya Flash (23 pts, 27 reb) and Ashley Cattle (12 pts, 12 reb), the Panthers overwhelmed York College in a 20-point victory before starting 2022 in winning fashion with a 78-69 Skyline win over Sarah Lawrence.

In their triumph over the Gryphons, Flash poured in 25 points and attacked the glass for 20 boards. The sophomore also forced a pair of steals and registered as many blocks. Kasiobi Okenwa shot 6-of-8 from the floor; logging a 13-point, 11-rebound double-double; her first of the season. She also tallied double-digit rebounds for the third consecutive game. Cattle dropped 18 points of her own while Cherish Francis rounded out a Panther quartet in double figures with 16 points to go with her seven assists. Copiague native Melinda Harris contributed seven caroms and six points in the win.

Old Westbury ranks second in the nation with 52.3 rebounds per game thanks to Flash’s Division III-leading 20.3 boards per game. Her 122 total rebounds are good for second in the Skyline, trailing only Yeshiva’s Daniella Rothman. Flash’s 20.7 points per game place her third in the conference while Francis’ 15.6 points per outing has her in 10th.