Written by Julia Ruocchio

When and Where:

December 11, 2024 - Patchogue, NY

Records:

St. Joseph's (L.I.), 8-2, 5-1; U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, 7-1, 6-0 Skyline

Results:

The St. Joseph's University (L.I.) women's basketball team suffered a 69-63 loss to U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in a conference match-up at the Danzi Center on Wednesday evening.

Top performers:

• Junior Gabrielle Andreacchi led the Golden Eagles with 15 points on 6-for-8 shooting from the field and 3-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc, while adding three rebounds

• Junior Megan Spina scored 11 points and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds

• Freshman Madelyn Barone and sophomore Rebecca Vitale each contributed nine points

• Carolae Barton paced USMMA with a double-double of 31 points and 15 rebounds, shooting 12-for-18 from the floor and 7-for-11 on free throws

• Kaira Winston scored 14 points with a team-high five assists

• Grace Jackson added 11 points and six rebounds with a game-high six steals for the visitors

How it happened:

• After USMMA scored the first two baskets of the game, St. Joseph's went on a 10-0 run with Barone scoring eight of those points to take a 10-4 lead at the 4:48 mark

• St. Joseph's took a lead of 10 (16-6) on a jumper for junior Emma Kelly, before the hosts finished the first quarter with a 16-8 lead

• The Mariners trimmed the lead to four (18-14) on a basket for Winston with 8:23 on the clock, then Spina's three-point play put the Golden Eagles ahead by seven

• The visitors came within three twice in the second quarter, as the Golden Eagles led 27-24 with two and a half minutes remaining before Vitale hit a three to finish the quarter and increase the lead to six (30-24)

• The Mariners cut their deficit to two points (32-30) two and a half minutes into the third, then Spina made a layup and two free throws in the next minute to put the hosts back up by six (36-30)

• A three for Andreacchi shortly after put St. Joseph's ahead by seven (39-32), then a Winston layup began a Mariners' 11-0 run that finished with the visitors taking a 43-39 lead with a minute remaining in the frame

• The Golden Eagles closed that gap in the final minute, as Graduate Student Charlotte Twohig made a basket before senior Isabella Sierra connected with a three just before the buzzer to cut the deficit to one (45-44) going into the fourth

• A three for Andreacchi about a minute and a half into the fourth quarter tied the game at 49 apiece, then a 7-0 run for the visitors put them ahead 56-49 at the 6:12 mark

• A trio of free throws for Vitale started a 10-2 run for the hosts that saw them take a 59-58 advantage on a three-point basket for Vitale with 3:10 remaining

• The game was tied three separate times in the last three minutes. The game was tied for the final time at 62 with 1:33 on the clock, then layups for Jackson and Barton down the stretch put USMMA in the lead once and for all to come away with a 69-63 win over SJLI

Notes: 

• St. Joseph's shot 34.8% from the field and 22.2% from three-point range

• USMMA posted a 39.7% shooting percentage overall and shot 14.3% from beyond the arc

• The Mariners went 17-for-25 (68%) on free throws, while the Golden Eagles went 11-for-18 (61.1%) from the free throw line

• USMMA went 15-for-19 on free throws in the second half to help them edge St. Joseph's

Next up:

The Golden Eagles return to action on Saturday, December 14 when they play the University of Mount St. Vincent on the road for a conference match-up at 12:00 pm.