Marino Scores 1,000th Point But Old Westbury Pulls Away From Women’s Basketball

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Junior Destiny Marino (Howard Beach, N.Y./Christ the King) became the 10th Bear to reach the 1,000-point milestone, but the despite a game-high 26 from reigning Skyline Conference Co-Player of the Week Victoria Porcasi (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team suffered an 84-68 defeat to defending league champions SUNY College at Old Westbury in Skyline Conference action on Wednesday evening.

The Basics

• Final Score: Old Westbury 84, St. Joseph's 68
• Records:  Old Westbury (8-2, 2-2), St. Joseph's (4-6, 2-3 Skyline)
• Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Arena: The Hill Center
• SJC Starters: Marino (G), O'Neill (G), Porcasi (G), Candelaria (F), Drago (C)

Turning Point

• St. Joseph's remained within two early in the fourth quarter shortly after the 15th lead change of the game, but a 10-3 Panther run over four minutes put the Bears at a nine-point disadvantage and the Panthers held SJC without a field goal over the final 4:11 to pull away.

How it Happened

• Old Westbury scored seven straight in the first to pull ahead by nine, but St. Joseph's closed out the period on an 8-0 spurt powered by five points from Destiny Marino, her free throws with 12 ticks before the break securing her milestone point.
• The teams jostled and exchanged the lead nine times in the second stanza before the Panthers closed out the half on a 7-0 run capped by a Jasmine Robinson trifecta and trailed 39-32 at the break.
• St. Joseph's fell behind by double digits after another Robinson triple, but the Bears used furious 13-0 outburst in just over two minutes with Victoria Porcasi scoring eight and Kellie O'Neill adding five to power the spurt and put the Bears on top by three. The visitors then used a strong 8-2 finish to close the period and take back the lead for good.
• With the Bears trying to get back into the game, an O'Neill triple pulled the Bears within five before the Panthers held the Bears to just two points over the final four minutes and pulled away from the free throw line.

For the Bears

• Victoria Porcasi led all scorers with 26 points on 7-of-9 shooting and 4-of-6 from three-point land, falling one shy of her career high, also set vs. Old Westbury nearly a year ago. The sophomore also had four assists, three rebounds, and two steals to stuff the stat sheet.
• Destiny Marino recorded her first double-double of the season and 13th of her career finishing with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
• Making her second start of the season, sophomore Kellie O'Neill had 11 points, draining 3-of-7 from behind the arc.
• Reigning Skyline Rookie of the Week Lauren Quesada added seven points, four assists, three, rebounds and three steals coming off the bench.

Inside the Box Score

• There were seven ties and 15 lead changes in the contest.
• Old Westbury outscored St. Joseph's, 25-12, in the fourth-and-decisive quarter.
• All five Old Westbury starters finished in double figures in a balanced offense. Jasmine Robinson paced the Panthers with 19 points and they received a pair of double-doubles from Charlotte Renker (18 pts, 14 reb) and Ruth Vargas (13 pts, 13 reb).
• Old Westbury used a 27-9 advantage on the offensive glass to outscore the Bears 34-11 in second-chance scoring. The Panthers entered the game the Division III leader in rebounding and offensive rebounds. 
• Both teams shot fairly evenly with the visitors holding a slight 43.2 to 42.9 percent edge in connect rate, but the Bears were hampered by a season-worst 34 miscues that led to 45 Panther points.

The Bear Facts

• Marino becomes the 10th Bear to join the 1,000-point scoring club reaching the mark in 65 games. She is the first to reach the mark since assistant coach Samantha Retas did in 2015.
• Marino extends her streak scoring in double figures to 10 games with her 57th career game.
• Porcasi tallies her 11th game with 20-or-more points and has scored 20-or-more points in three straight games.
• Old Westbury has now won five straight in the all-time series and leads 16-9. The two squads met three times last season with the Panthers defeating the Bears in the opening round of the Skyline Conference Championship before winning their first title.

Next up for St. Joseph's

After a six-game home stand spanning over a month, the Bears hit the road for a Skyline Conference tilt at Farmingdale State College on Wednesday, January 11th starting at 6 p.m.