Written by Julia Ruocchio

When and Where:

November 30, 2024 - Patchogue, NY

Records:

St. Joseph's (L.I.), 5-0; Baruch College, 1-6

Results:

The St. Joseph's University (L.I.) women's basketball team improves to 5-0 on the season with a 73-50 win over Baruch College in a non-conference match-up at the Danzi Center on Saturday afternoon.

Top performers:

• Junior Megan Spina scored a game-high 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double, while adding seven assists and two blocks. She shot 10-for-16 from the field

• Junior Emma Kelly contributed 15 points, eight rebounds, three steals, and a game-high eight assists

• Graduate Student Charlotte Twohig and freshman Madelyn Barone each scored 10 points

• Senior Isabella Sierra collected a game-high six steals while adding nine points and nine rebounds

• Baruch's Elissa Leung scored 19 points with four assists

• Mia Castillo contributed 15 points, seven rebounds, and five assists for the Bearcats

How it happened:

• The Golden Eagles took an early 5-2 lead in the game's first two and a half minutes, with Kelly and Barone making baskets early on

• After the Bearcats tied the game at five, the hosts went ahead 12-6 on a three for Sierra at the 5:07 mark in the first

• St. Joseph's took a nine-point lead on a Spina layup to go ahead 17-8 with 1:06 remaining before the hosts finished the first frame ahead 17-10

• The Golden Eagles continued that momentum to begin the second quarter, with Kelly scoring three of the team's first five points of the quarter to go ahead by 12 (22-10) at the 8:38 mark

• The Bearcats proceeded to go on a 9-2 run to cut the lead to five (24-19), with four of those points scored by Angela Bacarella

• Following a timeout for the Golden Eagles, the hosts responded by going on a 13-0 run. Kelly scored five points and Spina scored four, with Kelly's three with under one minute remaining in the quarter increasing the lead to 18 (37-19). The hosts went into the half ahead 37-21

• The Bearcats scored the first six points of the third quarter to cut their deficit to 10 (37-27), with four points scored by D'Andre McRae

• SJLI responded by scoring the next six points to put them back ahead by 16 at the 6:27 mark, with Spina scoring four points

• The visitors came within 11 (43-32) on a three-point basket for Castillo with 3:28 remaining, then the Golden Eagles responded by going on an 8-1 run to finish the quarter to take a lead of 18 (51-33). Sophomore Rebecca Vitale and Twohig each made three-point baskets during the run

• A pair of three-point baskets for Leung to begin the fourth quarter contributed to an 8-0 run for Baruch that brought the visitors within 10 (51-41) a minute and 20 seconds in

• Spina blocked a shot, then put the hosts back ahead by 15 (59-44) with a layup at the 6:06 mark

• The Golden Eagles ran away with the win in the last five minutes of play, as Spina's three-point play got a 10-0 run started for the hosts

• Spina's basket at the 3:12 mark extended the lead to 20 (68-48), and Twohig's three-pointer shortly after gave SJLI a 23-point lead for their largest lead of the day

• St. Joseph's finished the game with a 73-50 victory as they remain undefeated this season

Notes: 

• St. Joseph's shot 42.5% from the field and 28.6% from three-point territory

• The Bearcats posted a 34.5% shooting percentage overall and 33.3% from beyond the arc

• SJLI out-scored Baruch 40-14 in the paint

• The Golden Eagles held the advantage in rebounds (45-41), assists (23-17), and steals (17-8)

Next up:

The Golden Eagles return to action on Monday, December 2 when they visit FDU-Florham for a non-conference match-up at 6:00 pm.