Women's Basketball Upended By Old Westbury in Conference Showdown on Saturday Afternoon

Written by Joshua Soto (SJC-LI Sports Information)

 Old, Westbury, NY | The St. Joseph's College (L.I.) women's basketball team was defeated by Old Westbury, 95-34, in a Skyline Conference matchup on Saturday afternoon at the Clark Center.

The Golden Eagles now slide to 4-11 (3-6 Skyline), while the Panthers improve to 11-3 (5-3) on the season.

In a match that saw just two lead changes, Juliana Cintron-Leonardo would help SJC get on the board first with a made basket less than a minute into the game. Down 4-2 at the 8:18 mark, Old Westbury took a 26-0 run into the final minute of the first quarter, before exiting the frame with a 24-point lead (30-6).

The Panthers, with momentum on their side, opened the second quarter with a 14-0 run up to the 5:00 mark. In an effort to stop the run Jackie Zizzo banked in a three-point basket, but Old Westbury answered back with a 12-2 run to close out the half with the 56-11 lead.

The Panthers started the third quarter with a 12-3 run to increase the hosts' lead to 54 (68-14) at 5:57. Zizzo held the hot hand for SJC in the third quarter scoring nine straight points for the Golden Eagles, but Old Westbury would close out the frame with short 4-0 run.

Old Westbury maintained a double-digit lead (82-27) well into the fourth quarter, before exploding to an 11-0 run. With 2:42 remaining in the game, Old Westbury would hold its largest lead (93-29) before earning the 95-34 win.

Jackie Zizzo led the Golden Eagles in scoring with 17 points and assisted with two baskets in the contest. Cintron-Leonardo dropped eight points and led the team with 12 rebounds.

The Golden Eagles shot just 21.7% from the field compared to OW's 51.3%. The Panthers also held advantages in rebounds (53-38) and assists (22-11). 

The Golden Eagles return action on Tuesday, January 17th when they host Skyline rival USMMA at 7:00pm. Live stats will be available here.