BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Junior Destiny Marino (Howard Beach, N.Y./Christ the King) led 10 different Bears to score a point, registering her second straight 20-point game against a Division I foe, but the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) dropped their season opener to NJIT 87-53 on Tuesday night in Newark.

The Basics

• Final Score: NJIT 87, St Joseph's 53
• Records: NJIT (2-0), St. Joseph's (0-1)
• Location: Newark, N.J.
• Arena: Fleisher Athletic Center

Turning Point

• After Destiny Marino's layup opened the scoring just 30 seconds in, NJIT held the Bears scoreless over the next seven minutes and raced out to a 21-2 advantage.

How it Happened

• NJIT found their way into the bonus just three minutes into the first quarter and went on a 21-0 run and built a 29-8 lead after the first quarter.
• Marino scored 12 of her points over the opening 20 minutes with half her points coming from the charity stripe, connecting on 6-of-7.
• Trailing 73-29 entering the final quarter, the Bears closed the game on a positive note as they missed just two shots to finish with an 85 percent connect rate in the quarter (11-of-13) and outscored the Highlanders 24-14 in the period using a 14-2 outburst over five minutes to cut into the final deficit.

For the Bears

• Marino shot 7-of-18 from the field and 7-of-8 from the free throw line to record her game-high 22 points, also grabbing six boards.
• Victoria Porcasi netted nine points with six boards and two assists. The sophomore was a perfect 4-of-4 from the charity stripe.
• Kristen Candelaria opened her senior campaign matching her career high with four rejections and also chipped in six points and five rebounds.
• In her collegiate debut, Lauren Quesada scored five points, grabbed five boards and dished out three assists in an effective 13 minutes of action off the bench.
• Catherine Drago secured a team-high seven caroms in her collegiate debut and also scored two points.

Inside the Box Score

• SJC was only outrebounded by seven, 46-39, by the larger Highlanders, but the hosts maintained a 25-10 edge on the offensive glass and outscored Bears 52-18 in the paint.

The Bear Facts

• This is the third straight seasons the two squads have met and smallest margin of defeat in the series.
• When the teams met last season, Marino scored a career-high 24 points.

Next up for St. Joseph's

The Bears will return to the Garden State for their next two games, competing in the Ramapo College Tip-Off Tournament. St. Joseph's will face the College of Saint Elizabeth on Friday, November 18. Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m. with live stats and video available on SJCBears.com