Bender's 36 Lead Ladies Over CCNY in Home Opener

Patchogue, N.Y. —The St. Joseph's Lady Eagles (2-1, SKY 1-0) took down the CCCNY Beavers (0-3) by a final score of 70-49 in their home opener Saturday afternoon. SJC, led by Amanda Bender's (East Northport, N.Y./ Northport) career and game-high 36 points, maintained a comfortable lead over CCNY for the entirety of the game.

The Eagles came out strong in the first half; Laura Cohen's (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown East) jumper nearly seven minutes into the game put St. Joseph's up 15-5, opening a ten-point spread that they would maintain for nearly the rest of the half. As the first twenty minutes dwindled however, SJC's twelve fouls began to take a toll. The Beaver's five made-free throws and two jumpers in the last two minutes of the first half closed the gap in the score and brought the tally to 31-28.

The aggression from the final moments of the first half met the second half with a sharp contrast, as both teams were slow to put points on the board. Once the Lady Eagles got on a roll though there was no stopping their momentum. SJC's defensive traps and pressing proved effective and made it very difficult for CCNY to even make it past half court.

Forcing the Beavers to play a fast paced game, St. Joseph's proactive defense gave way to offensive opportunities. Fighting to maintain possession, the Eagles were successful in converting most of their 22 steals to points, or at least, to shots. Christina Cohen's (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown East) made lay up at 00:38 after a defensive rebound put the last two points on the scoreboard and left St. Joseph's triumphant with the 70-49 victory.

In addition to Bender's impressive 36 points, which included three three-pointers as well as five out of seven attempted free throws, she also secured six rebounds and grabbed three steals. Danielle Hamlin (Centereach, N.Y./ Centereach) scored 14 points including two three's, Laura Cohen contributed with nine points and five assists while Christina Cohen scored six points and ripped down five rebounds. Ashley Larrea (Medford, N.Y./ Patchogue-Medford) grabbed eight of the team's 22 steals. As a team, St. Joseph's shot 39.7% from the field and 52.6% from the foul line.

The Lady Eagles will travel to Troy, New York on Thursday for their 7 p.m. Skyline Conference game against Sage.