Women’s Basketball Takes Wire-to-Wire Win Over Southern Vermont In Ramapo Tournament Opener

MAHWAH, N.J. — Following a loss in their season opener, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball (1-1) team bounced back, defeating Southern Vermont College (1-2) with an 85-63 victory in their opening round of the Ramapo Tip-Off Tournament.

Sophomore Kelly O'Donnell's (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) led four Bears in double-figures—including a pair of double-double efforts—with a game-high 31 points.

How It Happened

The Bears started off hot, exploding for a 30-point first quarter. They opened the game on a 12-0 run in the first three minutes of play. The team meshed well, with seven assists in the quarter and shot 12-of-18 to take a commanding 30-18 lead just 10 minutes in.

The Mountaineers cut the Bears lead to just six points using an 8-2 run to start the second quarter. However, the Bears would more than respond closing out the quarter on an 18-3 run over the final seven minutes to carry a comfortable 50-29 lead going into lockers. O'Donnell logged 20 points before the intermission on 64 percent shooting from the field and 50 percent shooting from three.

The third quarter saw junior Lauren Quesada (Westbury, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) and senior Caitlyn Staab (Lynbrook, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) each pull down their 10th rebound to get complete their first double-doubles of the season, with Staab scoring six points in the frame.

After leading by as many as 23 in the third, Southern Vermont tried to mount a comeback in the, starting the fourth quarter with 14-2 run and coming as close as eight with five minutes left to go. However, the Bears finished the game on a 19-5 run to put away the Mountaineers, 85-63.

For the Bears

• O'Donnell hit a career-high six three-point field goals (6-14 3PT) en route to her game-high 31 points—her fourth career 30-point effort.
• Senior Victoria Porcasi (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) dropped 21 points with on 54 percent shooting (7-13) with five three-pointers and four assists.
• Quesada finished with 14 points and 15 rebounds while Staab finished with 15 points and 12 rebounds in the double-double efforts.

Next Up for the Bears

The Bears will face host Ramapo College (3-0) in the championship game of the Roadrunner Tip-Off Tournament tomorrow (Nov. 17) at 2 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at SJCBears.com