Women's Basketball Downs Purchase, 62-56
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Purchase (1-10 (1-4)) | 12 | 15 | 17 | 12 | 56 |
|
St. Joseph's (L.I.) (3-5 (1-1)) | 17 | 15 | 13 | 17 | 62 |
Written by Nick Esposito (SJC-LI Sports Information)
Patchogue, NY| After enduring back-to-back losses, St. Joseph's College women's basketball (L.I.) surged past the Purchase Panthers, 62-56, to garner its first Skyline Conference victory of the season on Saturday afternoon inside the Danzi Center. With the victory the Golden Eagles improve to 3-5 overall (1-1 Skyline), while dropping the Panthers to 1-10 (1-4 Skyline) on the season.
St. Joseph's had a strong opening to the contest, going on an 8-0 run early after forward Andrea Iavarone banged in a bucket in the paint with 4:17 remaining in the first period. SJC finished the first quarter how they started, as guard Asia Rountree drove the lane with 16 seconds left to lift her team to a 17-12 lead.
The second quarter was evenly matched, mostly, as both teams exchanged shots to score 15 points apiece, with the Golden Eagle heading into intermission on top, 32-27.
In the second half, Rountree played nearly perfect, scoring eight points off of 3-for-4 shooting while adding three assists and three rebounds. She helped rejuvenate SJC late in the third period after the Panthers overtook the lead with 1:39 left. With less than a minute remaining, Rountree droved to the basket and scored a late layup to take a 45-44 advantage heading into the fourth.
The Golden Eagles owned the last quarter, refusing to relinquish the lead for the rest of the bout. Guard Rynese Smith had a valiant effort in the fourth, scoring a team-high eight points in the quarter. Smith's strong performance solidified the victory as St. Joseph's topped Purchase 62-56.
Rountree (15) and Smith (13) were the top two scorers for the Golden Eagles, combining for 28 points with a 50% field-goal percentage. Both players were active on both sides of the court as Rountree finished with six boards, six dimes, and a steal, while Smith accumulated five rebounds, two assists, and four steals.
Iavarone chained the defense, protecting the glass for a game-high 12 rebounds and adding two steals and a block while scoring eight points.
St. Joseph's College will look to translate its performance into its next match as they hit the road to take on the CCNY Beavers in a non-conference game on Monday, December 13 at 7:00 PM.
