Brooklyn, NY (Dec. 10, 2016) – The Purchase College women's basketball team wrapped up the fall portion of their schedule with a 72-64 loss at St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) Saturday afternoon at the Hill Center. 

Sophomore forward Amber Jones (Bronx, NY) put up an impressive game-high 29 points for Purchase.  Rookie ace Dayja Medina (Brewster, NY) posted a double-double with 13 points and 11 boards, while junior guard Kayla Ortiz (Brooklyn, NY) added 15 points and six assists in the effort.  Senior center Frances Minaya (San Fernando, CA) paced the Panther defense with a game-high 14 rebounds and two blocks.

For St. Joe's, sophomore Victoria Porcasi recorded her third career double-double netting a team-high 20 points with 11 rebounds.  Junior Destiny Marino added 16 points and senior Samantha Simon chipped in 11 points with five boards. Senior Kristin Candelaria grabbed a team-high 12 rebounds and added four points to the book. 

A back-and-forth opening quarter saw Purchase use a 7-0 run to erase an early four-point Bears lead and the visitors held an 18-17 lead at the first quarter. 

The Panthers increased their lead to nine, scoring the first eight points of the second quarter, but they only managed two more points over the final 7:51 as the Bears closed out the quarter on a 15-2 run to take a 32-28 lead into the lockers and never trailed again.

A late surge in the third quarter sparked by a Porcasi triple and capped by a Simon triple put SJC on top 48-36 headed into the final frame.

St. Joseph's clung to a three-point lead with four minutes left in the third quarter before closing the period on a 10-1 run, capped by back-to-back Samantha Simon jumpers, to build a double-digit lead at the final break.

St. Joseph's increased their lead to as many as 13 on two occasions, before Purchase would attempt a late comeback pulling as close as three with a minute left, but the Bears held off the surging Panthers as Marino went 7-of-8 from the line in the final minute to seal the victory.

St. Joseph's has won the last four meetings against Purchase and improves to a commanding 13-2 lead in the all-time series.

With all the Saturday Skyline Conference action complete, the Bears move to .500 in league play at 2-2 and now sit in sixth place.  Purchase drops to 1-3 and falls to the No. 8 spot.

Purchase will be back after the New Year to face St. Joseph's College (L.I.) Wednesday Jan. 4 at 6 p.m.