Patchogue, NY (12/12/2015) – Despite a valiant effort from senior forward Elizabeth Osowiecki, the Purchase College women's basketball team dropped a Skyline Conference game to St. Joseph's College-LI, 62-56, on Saturday afternoon inside the Danzi Center.
Osowiecki (Franklin Square, NY) tallied a game-high 18 points and collected three rebounds, four assists and three steals after an impressive 40 minutes of action, however, a late SJC rally would cause the Panthers to fall to 1-10 (1-4 Skyline) on the season.
St. Joseph's (3-5, 1-1 Skyline) had a strong opening to the contest, going on an 8-0 early run. The second quarter was evenly matched, mostly, as both teams exchanged shots to score 15 points apiece, with the Golden Eagle heading into intermission on top, 32-27.
SJC's Asia Rountree opened up the second half with an impressive performance, scoring eight points off of 3-for-4 shooting while adding three assists and three rebounds. She helped rejuvenate SJC late in the third period after the Panthers overtook the lead with 1:39 left. With less than a minute remaining, Rountree drove to the basket and scored a late layup to take a 45-44 advantage heading into the fourth.
The Golden Eagles owned the last quarter, refusing to relinquish the lead for the rest of the bout. Guard Rynese Smith had a valiant effort in the fourth, scoring a team-high eight points in the quarter, solidifying the St. Joseph's 62-56 victory over the Panthers.
Rountree and Smith were the top two scorers for the Golden Eagles, combining for 28 points with a 50% field-goal percentage. Both players were active on both sides of the court as Rountree finished with six boards, six assists, and a steal, while Smith accumulated five rebounds, two assists, and four steals.
Purchase takes a break for the holiday season and returns to action on Jan. 4 with a home contest against Skyline opponent St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn.
