Sage Drops Lady Eagles on Senior Night

Patchogue, N.Y.—The St. Joseph's Golden Eagles (12-12, 6-7 Skyline) fell to the Sage Gators (8-15, 5-8 Skyline) 80-55 in their last home game of the season Wednesday night.  The loss puts the fifth-seeded SJC in an uncomfortable position going into the playoff season as they must break into the top four to be eligible. 

The Lady Eagles had a slow start, scoring their first points with Ashley Larrea's (Medford, N.Y. / Patchogue-Medford) jump shot six minutes into the game.  SJC essentially carried this initial slump with them throughout the game as they couldn't seem to come back from the early punch.  By halftime the Eagles trailed by fifteen and were in notable foul trouble.  St.ng  Joseph's was able to make some offensive pushes in the second half but their late efforts, coupled with Amanda Bender (East Northport, N.Y./ Northport), Colleen Fitzsimons (Commack, N.Y./ Commack) and Larrea all fouling out before the final buzzer, ultimately cinched the win for the Gators.

Danielle Hamlin (Centereach, N.Y./ Centereach) led the team in points with 18 and Bender was close behind with 15. Laura Cohen (Smithtown, N.Y./ Smithtown East) sunk 12 points and grabbed four rebounds. 

Despite the defeat, the Lady Eagles were still in good spirits as the game also served as their Senior Night.  During halftime they honored their two graduating seniors, forward Amanda Bender and guard Ashley Larrea.  Both Bender and Larrea have proven to be invaluable contributors to the team during their time playing at St. Joseph's.  During this season alone Bender has achieved the distinction of Skyline Player of the Week four times and has led her team on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court with 384 overall points and 185 total rebounds so far this season.  In addition to these accomplishments, Bender also drained her 1,000^th career point early this season and ranks second all-time on the program's scoring list and fifth in rebounding

Larrea, who was featured in The Long Island Advance for her exceptional accomplishments as a multi-sport collegiate athlete, has proven to be a fierce defender for the Lady Eagles as she has ripped down 165 total rebounds, in addition to her 120 overall points, so far this season.

The Golden Eagles will travel to Purchase, N.Y to challenge the Purchase Panthers in their last game of the season on February 16.