Three Double-Doubles Propel Women’s Basketball to Win at John Jay

NEW YORK — With three Bears recording double-doubles, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team (14-8) battled for a tough, 92-88, road win over John Jay College (10-11) on Saturday afternoon.

Kelly O'Donnell (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) had 23 points and 15 boards, Caitlyn Staab (Lynbrook, N.Y./Kellenberg Memorial) posted 20 points and 15 caroms, and Lauren Quesada (Westbury, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) added 18 points and 12 rebounds for the Bears' first trio of double-doubles since February 10, 2008 at Southern Vermont.

How it Happened
A strong first quarter saw John Jay grab a slim, one-point lead (25-24), despite mostly trailing in the frame. Quesada, the Bears' co-captain, led the offense with 13 first-quarter points.

Both teams put up at least 10 or more field goal attempts in the second, with the Bears holding a 22-16 rebound advantage in the quarter. SJC once again held the lead for most of the frame, although neither team could grab more than a six-point lead for the entire first half.

The Bears maintained their 42-40 halftime advantage, but John Jay tied the game twice in a seven-minute span, last with the score 51-51 at the 3:26 mark. St. Joseph's then went on a 10-2 run featuring a Victoria Porcasi (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) and-one layup for three of her eight points in the spurt. A three-pointer from Staab put the Bears up 11 for their largest lead of the game going into the final frame.

St. Joseph's held a comfortable lead until the 5:46 mark, when a layup assisted by Nyasha Howard gave her a triple-double and sparked an 11-4 John Jay run to cut the Bears' lead to just 82-80 with less than two minutes left in regulation. St Joseph's preserved their lead, however, outscoring the Bloodhounds 10-8 in the last 1:30.

For the Bears

• O'Donnell's 23 points were a team-high and she tied with Staab (20 points) for the team-high in rebounds (15).
• Porcasi notched 20 points (6-9 FG, 2-3 3FG) as well as two rebounds and two assists.
• Quesada added three assists and three steals to her 18-point, 12-rebound double-double.
• Sophomore Deserae Sequeira (Clark, N.J./Arthur L. Johnson) chipped in eight points, four assists, four boards, and two steals off the bench.

Next up for the Bears
A return to The Hill Center hosting Yeshiva University (6-12, 3-9 Skyline) for Senior Night and the Play4Kay Breast Cancer Awareness Game in the first contest of a doubleheader on Thursday (Feb. 7). Tip-off is 6 p.m. with live stats and video available at SJCBears.com.