Box Score

Purchase, NY (Jan. 19, 2012) – Women's basketball is back in the win column following a 58-54 final against non-conference rival St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn Thursday night at home.

Purchase (5-9) trailed early, falling behind 5-2 in the opening minutes before the two evenly matched squads began a string of traded baskets. A pair of free throws by Alyssa Guido (SR/Cliffside Park, NJ) and a timely hoop by captain Alyse LaPadula* (SR/New Rochelle, NY) brought the Panthers back within one (7-6).

Christina Rupp (FR/Ossining, NY) added the go-ahead free throw shortly later and Guido tacked on a 3-pointer for an 11-9 lead.

The host Panthers would push the score to 16-11 on a jumper by Jessica Bullock (JR/Thiells, NY) at 13:04.

However, SJC-BKLYN would claw back on some timely hoops of its own. Teresa Mangan hit a jumper at the 10 minute marker for a 17-16 Bears lead.

The action would see-saw the rest of the half until Rupp swiped a steal and fed Bullock for a 26-23 lead at 2:15 in the first half.

Ashley Panepinto (SR/North Rockland, NY) made it 28-23 on a score of her own, and Jess Lindsay (SO/Rochester, NY) and Alexis Billups (JR/Chester, NY) followed with another pair of scores as the Panthers finished strong in the opening stanza.

Purchase took a 32-23 lead at intermission.

The lead ballooned to 11 early in the second half and went back-and-forth between three and eight points for the next 12 minutes, with Purchase holding a comfortable lead for most of the game.

However, the visiting Bears (3-11) would not go quietly, cutting the deficit to three at 2:49 (51-48) and later 51-50 before LaPadula took over in the final minutes. She connected on two key free throws at 1:17 and then hit the shot of the night – a 3-pointer with :35 seconds left that increased the lead to six.

The Panthers never looked back.

In what then became a free-throw shooting affair, Rupp sealed it with two more from the charity stripe.

LaPadula paced Purchase with 14 points and a game-high five assists. Rupp, who has continued to improve in her rookie season, added 13, five rebounds and two steals in a solid effort. Guido netted eight points, including two first-half 3s that got the Panthers rolling early, while Bullock and Lindsay contributed six and seven points, respectively.

Billups, Jeidar Cole (FR/Bronx, NY) and newcomer Jalisa Fields (JR/Bronx, NY) also played well in the win.

Mangan led SJC-BKLYN with 15 points off the bench. Ashley McQuillan chipped in 14 in defeat.

The Panthers, who snapped their three-game losing streak, will now head to Farmingdale State Saturday, looking to build off tonight's victory.