Women's Basketball Goes for Fourth Win in Five Games Against Long-Time Rivals Mount Saint Vincent

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – After bouncing back with a commanding win over Cedar Crest, the St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) women's basketball team (3-1) looks for their fourth win in five games when they face former Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference and future Skyline Conference rival Mount Saint Vincent Friday.

Game Information  

Opponent: Mount Saint Vincent (4-1, 0-0 Skyline)
Date/Time: Thursday, December 4 • 5:30 p.m.
Location: Riverdale, N.Y.
Arena: Peter Jay Sharp Center

Coverage: Live stats

Quick Links

St. Joseph's: Roster | Schedule | Statistics | Misc. Stats
Mount Saint Vincent:  Roster | Schedule | Statistics

Storylines

• The Lady Bears are seeking for their fourth win in five games, which would be their best start to a season since 2003-04. That team finished with a program-best 25-8 record and a trip to the USCAA Championships.
• Mount Saint Vincent is currently on a three-game winning streak, including defeating York (N.Y.) on December 1st who the Lady Bears defeated on November 22nd.
• The Dolphins are currently the toughest defense in all of the Skyline Conference, allowing just 54.4 points per game.
• This is the 26th ever matchup between both programs, dating back to 1995.
  
  

Series History

Mount Saint Vincent leads 14-11 in matchups since 1995, including when they were both members of the HVWAC. Three of these matchups were in the HVWAC Tournament Championships, where the Lady Bears won two of the three contests.

Last Time Out

In the last matchup between the two programs, the Lady Bears topped the Dolphins, 64-49, on February 10, 2014 on Senior Night.

Kelly McNamee led the team with a game-high 18-point effort and Megan Moran notched her third double-double of the season (12 points and career-high 18 boards).

Taylor Raccuglia flirted with a triple-double as she finished with 12 points, nine rebounds, a career-high seven assists along with five blocks. Samantha Retas also added nine points and 13 caroms.

Lady Bear Facts

Samantha Retas is tied for first on the team averaging 13.2 points per game, and is currently second in the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) with 12.8 rebounds per game and is tied for third in the conference by shooting an even 50 percent from the field.

The senior's performance against Southern Virginia (19 points and 12 rebounds) helped earn her the Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) women's basketball Athlete of the Week. This was her sixth time winning the accolade.

Also tied for the lead in points per game is sophomore Jamilynn McGowan, averaging 13.2 points per game. Freshman Destiny Marino continues to play a great all-around game. She is currently second on the team with 8.5 points per game, leads the team with 5.0 assists per game and secures seven boards per contest.

Lady Bears Last Time Out

St. Joseph's played tough defense and led wire-to-wire as they defeated Cedar Crest, 55-32, Monday night at Brooklyn Technical High School. The Lady Bears (3-1) held the Falcons to just 19.4% (19-63) percent shooting.

There was a balanced attack on offense for St. Joseph's, led by McGowan who led all scorers with 12 points. Marino had 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists. She now has dished off four assists or more in each of her first four games in a Lady Bears uniform. Retas added eight points and nine rebounds.

Top Distributors

The Lady Bears have done a tremendous job of distributing the ball and finding the player with the best chance to score. Through the first three games, they were ranked second in NCAA Division III with an average of 23.7 assists per game. St. Joseph's has dished off 90 assists on 115 total field goals during this season.

Dolphin Facts

Mount Saint Vincent is currently on a three-game winning streak. The streak includes victories over Medgar Evers, York (N.Y.) and the College of New Rochelle who defeated the Lady Bears in the HVIAC Championships last season.

The Dolphins are led by senior Kelly Fraser, who leads the team in points (13.4) and tops the Skyline Conference with 12.8 rebounds per contest.

Christina Barone is second on the team with 13.2 points per game and also chips in with 5.0 boards per game. Sophomore Marisa Delzio is second in the conference with 4.83 assists per game.

Mount Saint Vincent Last Time Out

The Dolphins used an 11-0 run midway through the first half to help turn back York (N.Y.), 73-58, Monday night for their third straight victory. Kelly Fraser finished with a double-double, tallying 18 points and 11 rebounds in the win. Christina Barone distributed a game-high 10 assists to go with 15 points.

Next Up for the Lady Bears

St. Joseph's make their Hill Center debut when they face another future Skyline Conference foe SUNY College at Old Westbury this Saturday, December 6th. Tip off is at 6:00 p.m. Live stats and video will be available on SJCBears.com.