Lady Golden Eagles Edged by Purchase, 63-60

Purchase, N.Y. - Jackie Zizzo (Bethpage, N.Y/ Bethpage) scored 17 points for the St. Joseph's women's basketball team (4-14, 2-5 Skyline) in a 63-60 loss to the Skyline Conference's Purchase Panthers (3-14, 1-6 Skyline) on Saturday afternoon.

The Lady Golden Eagles were down in the contest early, digging themselves into an 11-3 hole to start the first half, but were able to shake it off after going on a 13-1 surge over the Panthers.

Zizzo hit a three-pointer to launch St. Joseph's into a 24-12 lead, the largest Golden Eagle advantage of the afternoon.

In the final five minutes of the period, the Eagle offense went stagnant as Purchase recuperated to cut the deficit to 29-23 going into the second half.

Following halftime, Andrea Iavarone (Miller Place, N.Y./ Miller Place) got the visitors going, scoring the first basket of the half from inside the paint.

At 15:03 Purchase was able to catch up to SJC, tying the ball game at 35.  The Golden Eagles and the Panthers went tit-for-tat for the rest of the game, exchanging blows until the final few seconds.

With 24 seconds remaining, forward Kate McGarrell (Centereach, N.Y./ Newfield) got one of two from the free throw line, with Meaghan Haber (East Northport, N.Y.// John Glenn) getting the offensive rebound, giving the ball back to McGarrell, who finished with a strong lay-up.

Still trailing 61-60, the Golden Eagles fouled a Panthers who made both free throws.  Immediately, the SJC called a time-out to chalk up a play.

With eleven seconds left on the clock, the play begins and Zizzo gets a kick-out pass while standing beyond the arc, but misses the potential game tying shots with two seconds remaining, ending the game.

Zizzo's totals on the night included her 17 points, along with six rebounds.

Forward Michelle Lupoli (Massapequa, N.Y./ Massapequa) tallied a double-double for SJC as she scored 13 points with 11 boards. Iavarone controlled the glass, collecting a game-high 16 points and scoring seven points.

The Golden Eagles will look for a fresh start as the team enters February for their next contest against Old Westbury (8-10, 2-4 Skyline) in a Skyline Conference road game at 6:00 p.m. in the Clark Athletic Center.