Lady Golden Eagles Fight Valiantly But Ultimately Fall to Unbeaten Farmingdale

Farmingdale, N.Y.– The Golden Eagles (5-18, 2-9 Skyline) faced defeat on the road Tuesday evening against the Farmingdale Rams (16-8, 11-0 Skyline), squandering  a six-point lead going into the second half.  St. Joseph's was in charge of the contest until 16 minutes were left in the second, at which point the unbeaten first-place Rams stepped up to the occasion, finishing the game on top, 70-56.

The Rams were first to put points on the board, posting the first six.  At 18:12, SJC sophomore guard Jackie Zizzo(Bethpage, N.Y./Bethpage) scored the team's first three and brought them back in the game. The rivalry continued with a close score throughout much of the first half, but the Golden Eagles were able to attain 36 points before the break, taking the lead by six. Freshman guard Jennifer Gubell(Levittown, N.Y./MacArthur) and Zizzo shared the team lead in points for the half, each posting nine.  Solid effort was unanimous across the board and things were looking promising for SJC.

Heading into the second half, the Rams made a quick turn-around and took the lead less than five minutes in. With 14:24 left on the clock, freshman forward Andrea Iavarone(Miller Place, N.Y./Miller Place) gave SJC the burst of energy they needed and put them back on the board with a two-point advance, making the deficit just three points.

Iavarone's efforts continued throughout the rest of the half, garnering a team-high eight points in the second. It seemed that whenever the Golden Eagles had the will to fight back, the Rams dug deeper and found another way to reach the top.

Iavarone posted a double-double (12 points, 11 boards) and Zizzo scored 11.  Sophomore guard Teddi Petre(Ronkonkoma, N.Y./Connetquot) tallied a game-high nine assists and Gubell chipped in with nine points.

This matchup against the Rams was the Golden Eagles second defeat to them this season and gives the season series to Farmingdale, 2-0.

The Golden Eagles compete in their final game of the 2014-15 season on Saturday, February 21 against Mt. St. Mary. This home Skyline Conference affair starts at 1 p.m.