Release courtesy of St. Joseph's College Athletics

CORONA, N.Y. –All nine Lady Bears recorded a field goal and the defense held Vaughn College to 18.3 percent shooting from the floor, as the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's basketball team came away with a 67-29 victory over the Warriors in a Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) matchup on Monday night at the Elmcor Recreation Center.

St. Joseph's (10-8, 2-1 HVIAC) moves back over .500 in league play and has won two of their last three games while Vaughn (1-8, 1-2 HVIAC) has now dropped eight in a row following a season-opening win over King's.

The Lady Bears used a balanced approach as all nine players had at least four points and played in at least 14 minutes.

Leading the Lady Bears was junior Jennifer Miller (Ozone Park, N.Y./St. John's Prep) who recorded her first career double-double by  way of 10 points and 11 rebounds, shooting an efficient 5-of-9  (55.6 percent) from the floor. The center added three assists and a career-high four blocks to her stat line. Junior Samantha Retas (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) scored a game-high 11 points while blocking a game-high five shots in only 14 minutes of action.

Freshman Kristen Candelaria (Jamaica, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) fell three points shy of her first career double-double, finishing with seven points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Sophomore Deirdre Lavelle (Brooklyn, N.Y./Fontbonne Hall) almost notched the first double-double of her career, dropping in eight points while securing  a career-high 11 caroms.  Sophomore Brittany Cervino (College Point, N.Y./St. Agnes) added a career-high eight points and tied a career high with five assists.

Rochelle Brown was the lone Warrior to score in double figures, finishing with 10 points and six rebounds.

St. Joseph's jumped out to an early 16-3 lead right out of the gate and did not look back, taking a 33-11 lead into the break. The Lady Bears defense was up to its usual tricks, holding Vaughn to 13.8 percent (4-of-29) shooting in the first half while dominating the glass with a 29-14 edge.  St. Joseph's used a five minute scoreless drought by the Warriors to go on a 17-0 run that distanced themselves from the home team.

The second half was a repeat of the first as the Lady Bears continued to dominate Vaughn, building a game-high 38 point lead, 67-29, with 3:17 left to play. The Warriors had no solution for the St. Joseph's defense in the second half, shooting just a tad better at 22.6 percent (7-of-31) then they did in the first half.

TURNING POINT

After Vaughn got within ten at 16-6 with 11:24 left in the first half, the Lady Bears would go on a 17-0 run over the next five minutes to increase their lead to 33-6 and cruised the rest of the way.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Other Contributors: Megan Moran (8 pts, 8 reb, 2 ast) Taylor Raccuglia (6 pts, 4 reb)
• St. Joseph's connected on 37.7 percent (29-of-77) of their field goal attempts, including 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.
• The Warriors had no answer for the Lady Bears on the glass as St. Joseph's held an overwhelming 64-38 edge.
• The Lady Bears finished the night with 21 assists on 29 of their field goal attempts.
• St. Joseph's once again reached double-digit blocks, finishing with 11 on the night.
• The Lady Bears held a 17-0 edge in points off turnovers and a 22-8 margin in points in the paint.

THE LADY BEAR FACTS

• St. Joseph's improves to 3-0 all-time against Vaughn, having won each meeting by double figures.
• Raccuglia is 11 blocks away from 100 while Retas is 12 away from the milestone.
• The 18.3 percent shot by Vaughn is the lowest field goal percentage shot by an opponent this season.
• The Lady Bears improve to 3-4 in the month of January.

NEXT UP FOR THE LADY BEARS

St. Joseph's returns to Brooklyn Technical High School on Wednesday, January 29th, taking on HVIAC foe Yeshiva University at 8 p.m.