Women's Basketball Powers Past Purchase

PURCHASE, N.Y. — In their first meeting on the hardwood since the first round of last season's Skyline Conference Women's Basketball Championship, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team (7-4, 5-1 Skyline) cruised past Purchase College (2-7, 1-3 Skyline), 85-46 on Saturday afternoon. The 39-point margin of victory stands as the Bears' largest win this season.

How it Happened

Jamie Provino (Harrison, N.Y./Harrison) and Kelly O'Donnell (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) led the way for the Bears in the opening 10 minutes, scoring seven of the first nine points of the game. The Panthers found a rhythm to take their first and only lead of the game at 11-9 with 5:21 left in the quarter. The Bears retook the lead on a Provino three-pointer as it began a run of 14-straight points to wrap up the period with a 23-11 lead.

The Bears held on to the advantage throughout the second quarter. With the help of freshmen Emma Kiley (Whitestone, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) and Alexis Breen (Union Beach, N.J./Keyport) and junior Kaitlyn Stenz (Maspeth, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy), the Bears saw their lead grow to as many as 16 with 2:23 to go before the intermission. SJC entered the half up 38-26 despite Purchase scoring five of the final six points in the period.

The Bears continued to distance themselves from the Panthers in the second half. Kiley's 12 points in the third quarter were more than Purchase scored as a team. O'Donnell and Samantha Wilber (Island Heights, N.J./Central Regional) also provided the scoring for St. Joseph's in the period as the trio went 11-of-15 shooting. The Bears took a 62-36 lead into the fourth quarter.

Breen poured in 10 of her 12 points of the game in the final stanza. O'Donnell scored five points in the period while Lisa LoSchiavo (Malverne, N.Y./Valley Stream North) and Gina Hopkins (Astoria, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) scored their first points of the game as the Bears closed the game with another 14-point run to win the encounter, 85-46.

For the Bears

• Kiley led all scorers with 22 points to go along with eight rebounds, three steals, and as many blocks.
• O'Donnell netted 20 points and was a rebound away from a double-double as she pulled down nine boards. She also dished out three assists and picked up a pair of steals.
• Breen recorded 12 points and handed out three assists.
• Wilber scored nine points on the afternoon.
• Stenz's eight points are a new season-high.

Up Next

The Bears will make another trip to Purchase on Wednesday, January 8; this time against Manhattanville College. Tipoff from Kennedy Gymnasium is scheduled for 7 p.m. with live stats and video available on SJCBears.com/live.