HOBOKEN, N.J. — The St. Joseph's University, N.Y.–Brooklyn women's basketball team began the new year with a 67-79 loss to the Stevens Institute of Technology on Friday afternoon, marking the end of their non-conference slate.
How it Happened
The Ducks started the game with an 8-2 run and built a 15-6 lead at 4:51, their biggest margin of the first quarter. Mercedes Perez (San Antonio, Texas) and Domenika Sanchez (Guayaquil, Ecuador) sparked a 7-0 run that cut the SJBK deficit to two. The hosts maintained a slim 21-16 lead at the end of the period.
Back-to-back three-pointers from Kristen Donovan (Maspeth, N.Y.) and Jasmine Chan-Clayton (Melbourne, Australia) gave the Bears a 22-21 lead to begin the second. Stevens countered with a string of baskets inside the arc to restore their lead but a Perez triple at 4:55 kept the navy-and-gray deficit at two, 27-25. The hosts closed the half on a 12-3 run, leading 39-28 after the opening 20 minutes.
St. Joseph's scored eight of the first 10 points in the third, behind a pair of three balls from Perez. The Ducks regained their 10-point lead, but contributions from Sanchez, Aaniya Telford (Brooklyn, N.Y.), and Shanna Bliss (Astoria, N.Y.) brought the Bears within five, 53-48, with just over two minutes left. However, by the end of the quarter, Stevens had extended their lead back to double digits, holding a 64-51 advantage.
The Ducks saw their largest lead of the day in the fourth quarter, 74-57 with 4:24 on the clock. They secured a 79-67 victory, though the Bears mounted a 7-2 run in the final two minutes.
For the Bears
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Perez poured in a career-best 35 points, shooting 12-of-25 from the floor and 6-of-12 from distance. She secured her third double-double of the season thanks to 12 rebounds.
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Donovan totaled eight points to go with three assists and a pair of rebounds.
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Sanchez had five rebounds, four assists, and as many points.
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Nikki Grech also had five rebounds while Bliss hauled in four.
Up Next
The Bears will return to The Hill Center and Skyline Conference action on Tuesday, January 8, facing Yeshiva University at 5:30 p.m.
