STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's College (4-1) forced 27 turnovers and grabbed 18 steals in a 67-50 victory over Maine Maritime Academy (1-2) at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon. Freshman center Morgan Cahill (Yarmouth, Maine) tallied her third double-double of the year with 15 points, all in the second half, and 10 rebounds in the victory.

Leading by four, 29-25, at intermission, Saint Joseph's began the second half with a 20-3 run to gain control of the non-conference contest. The Monks utilized a formidable full-court press to force seven turnovers and the Mariners went 1-7 from the field during the SJC run, which started with a Cahill layup at the 18:29 mark. The offensive surge came to a close six minutes later when freshman guard Shannon McFayden (Ipswich, Mass.) made a free throw to extend the hosts' advantage to 49-28.

The outlook was not great for the Monks in the early minutes, as the Mariners received buckets from four different players to secure a 9-3 lead with 14:33 to go in the first period. Senior forward Devyn Curless-Clark (Clinton, Maine) capped the run and provided Maine Maritime with a six-point cushion with a layup of a Leah Jackson (Dedham, Maine) pass.

Saint Joseph's managed to turn the tables on the Mariners however, as the hosts took the lead for good – as it played out – with an 18-0 outbreak over the following six minutes. Junior forward Abby Young (North Yarmouth, Maine) knotted the game at 9-9 with a jumper at the 11:29 mark and proceeded to complete the SJC run with a three-pointer, her second of the afternoon, to put the Monks up 21-9 with 8:20 before the half.

St. Joe's held a comfortable 29-20 lead after junior forward Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H.) connected on a jump shot with 1:26 left in the first half. But the Mariners answered with a Hannah Lyons (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) jumper at the 1:06 mark and a three-pointer from senior guard Courtney Dufour (Augusta, Maine), sister of SJC junior point guard Mackenzie Dufour (Augusta, Maine), to cut their deficit to four, 29-25, heading into the break.

In the first half, Saint Joseph's shot 44.8% (13-29) from the field and 37.5% (3-8) from downtown while not recording an attempt from the free throw line. Maine Maritime shot 45% (9-20) overall, 57.1% (4-7) from three-point range and 75% (3-4) from the FT line in the opening 20 minutes.

Courtney Dufour led all first-half scorers with nine points while Young paced the Monks with eight points in the opening frame.

Unable to get going offensively, the Mariners made just one basket in the first nine minutes of the second stanza and fell far behind as a result of the aforementioned 20-3 scoring run by the Monks. Maine Maritime showed signs of life following the anemic stretch, but the deficit proved too much to overcome for the visitors.

For the Monks, Moore recorded 14 points, four rebounds and three steals, Young scored 13 and senior guard Danyelle Shufelt (Sutton, Vt.) added four points and a game-high five steals. Dufour talied seven points, four assists and a pair of steals, Sarah Assante (Standish, Maine) dealt four dimes, and Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) came off the bench to produce four points and four steals in the triumph.

For the Mariners, senior Casey Everest (Portland, Maine/Deering) netted a game-high 16 points in 18 minutes off the bench, Dufour finished the day with nine points and sophomore forward Jillian Perron (Skowhegan, Maine) scored seven in a losing effort.

Overall, Saint Joseph's shot 51% (26-51) from the floor, 30% (3-10) from beyond the arc, and 70.6% (12-17) from the free throw line. Maine Maritime shot 41.9% (18-43) from the field, 45.5% (5-11) from downtown, and 64.3% (9-14) from the charity stripe.

With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 5-4 in the history of the series with Maine Maritime Academy and has now defeated the Mariners in consecutive meetings. Today's margin of victory over Maine Maritime is the most posted by an SJC team since the Monks bested the Mariners by a 67-27 score on February 1st, 2000.

St. Joe's returns to action on Tuesday when the Monks travel to Thomas College for a non-conference contest starting at 7:30 PM. Maine Maritime begins North Atlantic Conference play when the team hosts Husson University on Tuesday at 5:30 PM. 

GAME FLOW CHART:

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.