O’Donnell Pours in 31, Women’s Basketball Mounts Fourth-Quarter Comeback Over Yeshiva

NEW YORK — Two-time Skyline Rookie of the Week Kelly O'Donnell (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) led the way with a career-high 31 points as the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team downed Yeshiva University on the road on Thursday night. The Bears trailed with less than seven minutes to play in regulation, but the offense caught fire when they needed it the most to propel SJC to an even (5-5) overall record.

The Basics

• Final Score: St. Joseph's 69, Yeshiva 59
• Records: St. Joseph's (5-5, 3-2), Yeshiva (2-10, 1-7)
• Location: New York — Nat Holman Gymnasium
• SJC Starters: Alioto (G), Porcasi (G), DiCioccio (G), O'Donnell (G), Staab (C)

Turning Point

• Junior captain Victoria Porcasi (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) drained a trey (6:35) in the fourth quarter to give her team the lead for the first time since early in the third.

How It Happened

• O'Donnell was feeling it early, scoring 11 of the Bears' 15 points to give them a six-point lead halfway through the first. However, Yeshiva's Leah Shulman nailed a three with a minute to play in the period bringing the score to 17-16 St. Joseph's heading into the second.
• Down by one, an O'Donnell jumper at 7:47 broke a six-minute SJC scoring drought carried over from the first quarter, putting them back on top 19-18. The freshman led her squad offensively with 19 before the break and they sat tied with the Macs at 29 after two.
• Back-and-forth play ensued in the third, but Yeshiva ended the period on a 12-6 run, finished off by a Nicole Bick jump shot, to hold a 47-40 lead at the end of the frame. O'Donnell then scored all eight of St. Joseph's points to open the fourth before Porcasi's jumper lifted them back in front.
• Another Porcasi deep-ball two minutes later capped off a 17-3 Bears' run over the first half of the fourth which proved to be the dagger in an eventual double-digit victory for the visitors.

For the Bears

• O'Donnell's 31 points (10-16 FG) were a season and career-high and she also grabbed seven rebounds with a career-high six steals.
• Porcasi finished with 12 as the only other Bear in double-figures.
• Junior guard Nina DiCioccio (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) continued her stretch of solid play in the starting lineup, notching eight points and five rebounds.

Inside the Box Score

• In her first start of the season, junior point-guard Alyssa Alioto (Staten Island, N.Y./Moore Catholic) contributed five points (1-2 3FG, 2-2 FT), two rebounds and a steal.
• Disparities between the two squads were apparent, as the Bears jacked up 22 threes compared to Yeshiva's six, while the Macs were frontcourt-oriented as they won the second-chance points battle (13-8).

The Bear Facts

• SJC has now won 23-straight matchups with the Maccabees.
• With the victory, the Bears claim sole possession of fifth place in the Skyline Conference.

Next Up for the Bears

• Their second showdown with a Division 1 opponent this week, traveling to Army (West Point) on Saturday (Dec. 16). Tip is set for 1 p.m. with live stats and video at SJCBears.com.