Cervino Nets Career-High 16 As Women's Basketball Hosts Mount Saint Mary on Senior Night

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Senior Brittany Cervino (College Point, N.Y./St. Agnes) scored a career-high 16 points and freshman Kellie O'Neill's (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) matched a career-high 15 points, but the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team was unable to overcome a slow start, succumbing to Mount Saint Mary, 70-61, despite a late charge on Senior Night at The Hill Center on Thursday.

The Basics

• Final Score: Mount Saint Mary 70, St. Joseph's 61
• Records: Mount Saint Mary (11-12, 8-6 Skyline), St. Joseph's (7-17, 6-9 Skyline)
• Date: February 11, 2016
• Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Arena: The Hill Center
• Starters:
  • St. Joseph's: Eddy (G), Marino (G), Cervino (G), Porcasi (G), Candelaria (F)
  • Mount Saint Mary: Kelly (G), Graham (G), Kerutis (G), Rini (F), Cleare (C)

Turning Point

• A late 12-2 onslaught brought the comeback-minded Lady Bears within 66-58 with 1:59 remaining. But the Knights withstood the charge by recording the next four points and holding St. Joseph's scoreless for the next 1:34.

How it Happened

• The Knights burst out of the gates, using 10 unanswered to claim a 12-1 lead in the opening minutes.
• In a nine-point first quarter, the Lady Bears shot just 3-of-15 and misfired on all six of their three-point attempts.
• Mount Saint Mary's 8-0 run midway through the second period stretched their advantage to 26-11.
• Still trailing by 15 at the 3:41 mark of the second, Brittany Cervino, Samantha Simon and Kellie O'Neill buried consecutive triples in a span of 1:09 to slash into the deficit just before the break.
• The Knights netted the first eight points of the second half to regain their double-digit lead, going up 42-28 by the 7:46 mark. Kassidy Hallum's triple with three ticks left in the quarter countered O'Neill's three-pointer just 20 seconds earlier, sending Mount Saint Mary into the final period up 55-39.
• With just 4:41 remaining, the Knights had amassed their largest lead of the game, 64-46, and looked to coast to the finish. But in the next 2:42, St. Joseph's 12-2 rally put them back in striking distance, making it 66-58 at the 1:59 mark.
• Four unanswered from MSMC halted the Lady Bear charge and sealed victory for the visitors.

For the Lady Bears

• Celebrating her Senior Night, Brittany Cervino led the Lady Bears with a career-high 16 points on top of three boards and four helpers.
• Freshman Kellie O'Neill tied her career-high with 15 points in just 18 minutes off the bench. The freshman set in a new career mark with five triples, adding a pair of rebounds and three assists.
• Junior Kristen Candelaria handled a team-best 10 rebounds, her tenth double-digit rebounding game this season.
• Senior Erica Eddy and sophomore Destiny Marino chipped in eight points each, Marino seeing her streak of consecutive games in double figures snapped at 19.

For the Knights

• Elizabeth Limonta managed a double-double off the bench with 14 points and 13 caroms, leading her team in both categories.
• Bridget Kelly scored 14 as well to lead the starting unit, shooting 6-of-9 from the field.
• Jessica Rini narrowly missed a double-double with 13 points and nine boards, while Megan Kerutis netted 10 to round out four in double figures for the visitors.

Inside the Box Score

• The Lady Bears coughed up the ball a season-low five times, winning the turnover battle 17-5.
• St. Joseph's struggled to a 31.0 percent (22-71) shooting night, while Mount Saint Mary (28-64) hit six more field goals needing less attempts, finishing at 43.8 percent.
• The Knights with five players 5-foot-10 or taller and the Skyline leaders in rebound margin, finished with a significant 56-34 rebounding edge. Eighteen of MSMC's caroms came on the offensive end, contributing to a massive 17-0 second-chance points margin.

The Bear Facts

• Despite the loss, with St. Joseph's Long Island also losing to Farmingdale State today, the Lady Bears have clinched the sixth-and-final Skyline Tournament spot with a two-game lead over the Golden Eagles and also holding the head-to-head tiebreaker with the season sweep.
• The Lady Bears fall to 1-2 in the all-time series against fourth-place Mount Saint Mary, with both losses coming this season.

Next up for the Lady Bears

• St. Joseph's travels to meet fifth-place Farmingdale State for their regular season finale on Saturday, February 13. Tip-off is slated for 5 p.m. with live stats and video available at SJCBears.com.