Women's Basketball Travels to Newburgh to Face First-Place Knights

NEWBURGH, N.Y. — Junior Destiny Marino (Howard Beach, N.Y./Christ the King) and sophomore Victoria Porcasi (Franklin Square, N.Y./H. Frank Carey) both netted 11 points each to lead the Bears, but first-place Mount Saint Mary College proved too much for the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team in a 76-47 setback on Tuesday evening.

The Basics

• Final Score: Mount Saint Mary 76, St. Joseph's 47
• Records:  Mount Saint Mary (12-3, 8-1), St. Joseph's (4-10, 2-6 Skyline)
• Location: Newburgh, N.Y.
• Arena: Kaplan Center
• SJC Starters: Marino (G), Simon (G), Porcasi (G), Candelaria (F), Quesada (F)

Turning Point

• The Knights held the Bears to a season-low 16 points in the first half to build a 38-16 lead at halftime. MSMC outscored St. Joseph's 24-7 in the second quarter to break open the game.

How it Happened

• The Knights scored the first eight points of the contest on two Megan Kerutis three-pointers and never trailed. St. Joseph's responded with five straight on a Destiny Marino triple and a Catherine Drago layup to cut the deficit to three, and found themselves behind 14-9 after 10 minutes.
• Mount Saint Mary scored the first seven points of the second stanza to build a double-digit lead where it remained for the rest of the contest. The Knights held the Bears to just three field goals in the period and seven points, as they shot 7-of-17 (41.2%) from the field and 8-of-14 from the line (57.1%) to extend their lead to 22 at the intermission.
• The Knights shot 53 percent (17-32) in the second half to prevent St. Joseph's from cutting into the deficit.

For the Bears

• Destiny Marino notched 11 points with two rebounds and two assists to record her 13^th straight game this season in double figures and 60th of her career.
• Sophomore Victoria Porcasi shared team-high honors with 11 points and three boards.
• Lauren Quesada had six points and a team-high six rebounds.

Inside the Box Score

• The Knights shot over 50 percent in the second half and finished at a 44.6 percent connect rate (29-65) while holding the Bears to just 26.8 percent shooting (15-56), their second-worst shooting effort this season. 
• Mount Saint Mary also controlled the boards holding a 54-35 edge and outscored St. Joseph's 23-8 in second-chance points.
• Jessica Rini led three Knights in double figures with 16 points and six boards. Megan Kerutis added 14 points and Elizabeth Limonata chipped in 10.

The Bear Facts

• The Knights maintain a one-game lead atop the Skyline standings at 8-1 while the Bears remain in 8th place a half game behind seventh.

Next up for St. Joseph's

The Bears continue a four-game road stand on Saturday, January 21 heading to Purchase College for a Skyline Conference tilt starting at noon.