Team's 10 Wins Tops Last Season's Total

Patchogue, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's College women's basketball team (10-7, Skyline 5-4) defeated Purchase College (5-12, Skyline 0-8), 59-37, tosolidify their hold on fourth place in the Skyline Conference.

The Lady Eagles were led by sophomore guard Laura Cohen (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown East) who scored 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor and 4-for-7 from three-point land. This game is a continuation of Cohen's recent hot streak as she has averaged 16.7 PPG in her past four games.

Amanda Bender (Northport, N.Y./East Northport) added 16 points while going 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. Nicole Redding (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) recorded another double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

In the first half, both teams struggled to put up points. The Lady Eagles held the Panthers to just 25.9% shooting from the floor. However, St. Joseph's couldn't find their stroke from beyond the arc, going 4-for-15. Despite the poor shooting, they were resilient and were able to go into the locker room at halftime up 26-17.

Purchase was able to stick around during the second half, keeping the lead within eight points. However, the Eagles turned up the pressure and jumped to a 14-point lead with 4:52 left in the game and never looked back. Purchase was never able to overcome the tough St. Joseph's defense, which forced 27 turnovers and came away with 15 steals.

Up next for St. Joseph's is a match-up against conference rival Farmingdale State (9-7, Skyline 8-1). The Rams currently sit in first place atop the Skyline. The Lady Eagles only lost by four points to the Rams earlier in the season and are looking for an upset victory as the season winds down.