Lady Golden Eagles Finally Slay Mt. St. Mary Knights

Newburgh, N.Y.  – The St. Joseph's women's basketball team (4-9, 2-1 Skyline) notched a landmark win long in the making on Sunday afternoon as they defeated perennial Skyline Conference powerhouse-Mount Saint Mary (5-8, 1-2 Skyline) for the first time in program history, 64-57.  The Golden Eagles and the Knights had been playing annually since meeting for the first time during the 1997-98 season. 

St. Joseph's and the Mount had played 28 times before Sunday's game. The SJC women's basketball program's inaugural season was in 1996-97.

Sophomore guard Jackie Zizzo (Bethpage, N.Y. / Bethpage) led four Golden Eagles in double-figures with 18 points, including five three-pointers.  Freshman forward Andrea Iavarone (Miller Place, N.Y. / Miller Place) picked up a double-double with 13 points and 12 boards, in addition to two blocks. Junior forward Rynese Smith (Greenpoint, N.Y. / Bellport) and sophomore guard Meaghan Haber (East Northport / Harborfields) scored 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Head coach Mike Petre's St. Joseph's squad opened the contest on an 11-0 run and the Knights had trouble finding the bottom of the net in the early minutes of the game. The Golden Eagles led by as many as 12 points before the Knights started to find their rhythm. The Knights got as close as one point after freshman forward Jessica Rini made a jumper with just over a minute remaining in the first half. A pair of free throws by St. Joseph's Iavarone put the Golden Eagles up by three before the break, 28-25.

The Knights hung tight with their guests for a while in the second half, but an 8-0 run that put the Golden Eagles up, 45-34, appeared to be the nail in the coffin for the home team. However, the Knights turned the momentum around, and cut the deficit to five at 49-44 with 7:28 remaining.

A pair of free throws by MSMC freshman forward Bridget Kelly with 1:08 left to go got the Knights within three points of the Golden Eagles. However, the Knights were unable to convert on their next four possessions, while the Golden Eagles' Haber made three-of-five free throw attempts with under a minute remaining and junior forward Katie McGarrell (Selden, N.Y. / Newfield) converted one-of-two to cement the seven-point win.

For the Mount, Rini came off the bench to score 13 points and grab 13 rebounds, while Kelly added 11 points and 13 boards of her own. Senior forward Natalie Candarelli led the Knights with 18 points, while sophomore guard Marisa Delzio dished out a game-high five assists.

The Knights dominated the boards with 54 rebounds, while the Golden Eagles grabbed 37.

St. Joseph's hopes to continue their momentum against CCNY on Tuesday at 6:00 p.m. in a home contest before picking up their Skyline Conference schedule again with Sage at home on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.