BROOKLYN, N.Y. — The St. Joseph's University, New York (Brooklyn) women's basketball team battled throughout its Skyline Conference opener on Wednesday night but came up just short in a tightly contested 69-77 loss to Farmingdale State at The Hill Center.
The Bears matched the Rams possession-for-possession early, with Mercedes Perez (San Antonio, Texas) hitting the game's first bucket and Nikki Grech (Northville, Mich.) converting a put-back to help the Bears settle in. Domenika Sanchez (Guayaquil, Ecuador) added a transition layup, and Perez later scored through contact as SJBK stayed even late in the period. Farmingdale State used a brief closing push to take an 18–16 lead after one.
The second quarter featured the most back-and-forth stretch of the night, Perez connected on a right-wing three, Kristen Donovan (Maspeth, N.Y.) buried a catch-and-shoot triple, and Aaniya Telford (Brooklyn, N.Y.) contributed a jumper plus a momentum three off a Perez assist to pull the Bears level. But the visitors responded with timely threes and steady free-throw shooting, closing the quarter on a 15–8 run to take a 45–30 halftime advantage.
St. Joseph's regrouped in the third, tightening defensively and finding early success inside. Emma Centrella (Varese, Italy) opened the half with a rebound-and-score, Perez knocked down a jumper to halt a scoreless spell, and Grech powered inside for a key finish. Donovan added a three as the Bears trimmed the deficit to twelve, while Centrella and Grech worked the glass to extend possessions. Farmingdale State, however, maintained a 60–43 lead entering the fourth.
The Bears delivered their strongest offensive stretch in the final quarter, erupting for twenty-six points while pushing the tempo and attacking mismatches. Perez sparked the run with a transition jumper, Grech converted multiple finishes around the rim, and Centrella added timely scoring on the interior. Judith Vila (Vilassar de Mar, Spain) provided a three-pointer and downhill attacking to energize the building as SJBK pulled within single digits, though the Rams did just enough late to close out the contest, winning 77-69.
Perez led all scorers with 21 points, adding 10 rebounds and six assists while Grech turned in a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Centrella contributed nine points and nine boards. Donovan finished with seven points and four steals, and Telford added six points and six rebounds off the bench.
The Bears travel to the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on Saturday, November 22 as they continue Skyline play.
