Cohen Sisters' Identical Tallies Not Enough to Overcome Albertus in Opener

New Haven, Conn. – In their madien outing of the season the St. Joseph's Golden Eagles fell to Albertus Magnus, 89-59.  Junior Lianna Carrero picked up her second career double-double as she recorded 18 points and 14 rebounds to lead the home team to the win on Thursday.

St. Joseph's was led by junior twin sisters Christina and Laura Cohen (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown East) who ironically both scored a team-high 16 points on an identical 6-of-18 showing from the floor.  Senior Amanda Bender (East Northport, N.Y./Northport) pulled down a team-high 14 rebounds while chipping in 13 points.

Carrero, who finished just one assist shy of her first-ever triple-double, shot 50-percent from the floor and tallied a career-high nine assists for the Falcons. Her 14 rebounds also marked a career-high.

After the Golden Eagles took a 2-0 lead out of the gate, their only lead of the contest, the Falcons went on an 11-6 run to take a 14-8 advantage eight minutes into play. The Falcons' largest lead of the first half came with 34 seconds left on the clock as Anna Sutila hit a three pointer, giving the Falcons a 40-26 lead at intermission.

Sutila's 15 points, three rebounds and four-made three pointers all marked career highs for the sophomore.

The Falcons came out of the halftime break and shot 52.9-percent from the floor, including a 54.5-percent clip from behind the arc. With less than 12 minutes to go in the contest, Sutila hit another three pointer to give the Falcons a 20 point lead at 62-42. Albertus then pushed its lead out to 35 with 54 seconds left on the clock.

Freshman Kelsey Pendagast posted solid numbers in her collegiate debut as she finished the night with 13 points and 15 rebounds in 22 minutes of work.

Junior Lindsay Karle added a game-high 20 points in the contest as she hit 5-of-12 from behind the arc. Junior Annie Raucci shot 5-of-8 from the floor for 10 points as well. The Falcons finished the contest shooting 43.7-percent, a 31-of-71 clip from the floor, while out-rebounding the Golden Eagles 65-39.

The Falcons are now 2-1 all-time against St. Joseph's dating back to December of 2010. With tonight's victory, the Falcons avenged their 75-53 loss to the Golden Eagles last season. Tonight's win also marked the second-straight year that the Falcons have won their season opener.

St. Joseph's returns to action Tuesday evening as they travel to Mt. St. Vincent for their first Skyline Conference game of the season.  Follwoing that will be their home opener next Saturday vs. CCNY at 3:00 p.m.

(Game summary filed in conjunction with Alberus Magnus Sports Information)