STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's College (1-0) defeated University of Maine-Machias (2-1), 71-43, in non-conference women's basketball action at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore guard Nicolette Kapothanasis (Westbrook, Maine) netted a game-and-career-high 14 points and made five of seven shots, including a 3-4 effort from three-point range, in the Monks' season-opening win.
The Monks scored on their first possession of the afternoon as part of a 15-0 run to start the contest and would never trail in the one-sided triumph. Junior forward Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H.) opened the scoring when she hit a jumpshot off an Abby Young (North Yarmouth, Maine) pass 15 seconds into the game and nailed a jumper to lift the hosts to a 15-0 cushion at the 14:01 mark.
St. Joe's shot 41.7% (15-36) from the field in the first half and held a commanding 40-15 lead heading into intermission. The Clippers shot just 15% (3-20) from the floor and committed 18 turnovers in the opening stanza. The Monks scored nearly half of their points (17) off the Machias miscues in the first period.
The Clippers played better in the second half as the visitors shot 35.5% and almost doubled their first-stanza scoring with 28 points in the final 20 minutes, but the lackluster opening period proved too much for the visitors to overcome as the Monks cruised to a 71-43 opening-day victory.
St. Joe's freshman center Morgan Cahill (Yarmouth, Maine) kicked off her NCAA career with a double-double, scoring 12 points with 12 rebounds while recording two blocked shots and a pair of steals on the afternoon. Moore enjoyed a solid game with 11 points and five boards while senior guard Danyelle Shufelt (Sutton, Vt.) added nine points and three steals and sophomore guard Sarah Assante (Standish, Maine) registered five points, six caroms, four steals and three assists in the triumph.
Senior forward Alyssa Grigware (Biddeford, Maine) came off the bench to score eight points and grabbed five rebounds in 15 minutes and freshman forward Colleen Taylor (Lebanon, N.H.) contributed five points, three boards and a pair of assists in her first collegiate contest.
For the Clippers, Kay Parks (Washington, D.C.) tallied 10 points, three steals and a pair of rebounds and Jamyriah McPherson (Bradenton, Fla.) produced 12 points in a losing effort. Samira Cruz (Orlando, Fla.) registered seven points and seven caroms and Yvanessa Vicent (Tampa, Fla.) added six points and a team-high nine rebounds on the afternoon.
Overall, Saint Joseph's shot 41% (25-61) from the floor, 38.5% (5-13) from three-point distance, and 59.3% (16-27) from the free throw line while Maine-Machias shot 27.5% (14-51) from the field, 37.5% (3-8) from beyond the arc and 60% (12-20) from the charity stripe.
The Monks held advantages in rebounds (46-34), assists (15-3) and steals (22-13) and also topped the ledger in points off turnovers (28-6), second-chance points (25-8), fast-break points (12-0) and bench points (34-14) in the victory.
With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 28-4 in the history of the series with Maine-Machias and has now defeated the Clippers in 18 consecutive meetings dating back to the 1996-97 campaign. Today's point total is the most scored by the Monks in a season-opener since St. Joe's defeated Bridgewater State, 78-67, in the 2001-02 opener on November 16th, 2001.
The 28-point margin of victory is the most recorded by an SJC women's basketball team on opening day since the Monks blasted Becker College by an 81-31 score on November 19th, 1999.
Saint Joseph's will host University of Maine-Farmington on Tuesday evening at 5:30 PM while Maine-Machias is set to play at Maine-Fort Kent on Tuesday in a 5:00 PM tip-off.
Saint Joseph's College, founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy, celebrates its Centennial year in 2012 with a theme of "Realize the Promise" – honoring our commitment to educating well-rounded graduates who combine career focus with classic liberal arts studies. A Private, Catholic, primarily residential, coeducational liberal arts institution, Saint Joseph's welcomes students of all ages and all faiths. The campus, located 18 miles northwest of Portland and just two hours from Boston, encompasses 350 acres along the shore of beautiful Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine. Enrollment ranges between 1,000 and 1,100 students annually. Saint Joseph's offers challenging academic programs in the liberal arts and sciences, education, nursing and business fields in a value-centered environment.
