WATERVILLE, ME – Saint Joseph's College (5-1) defeated Thomas College (2-3), 87-67, in a non-conference women's basketball contest on Tuesday night. Senior guard Danyelle Shufelt (Sutton, Vt.) scored a game-high 17 points and made all 10 of her free throw attempts in the victory.
Ball security proved to be a major factor in the victory, as the Monks scored 37 points off 34 Thomas turnovers and tallied 17 steals on the evening. An even scoring attack also figured into the result, as Shufelt led a quartet of Saint Joseph's players who scored 10 or more points, as Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H.) poured in 15 while Mackenzie Dufour (Augusta, Maine) and Alyssa Grigware (Biddeford, Maine) netted 11 apiece for the visitors.
The Monks would see the score go in their favor thanks to a 9-0 run around the 14 minute mark in the first half and continued to stay hot from the court, shooting 48.5% (16-33) from the field with four three pointers in the opening frame.
Thomas' spark in the first half came from Elizabeth Goodall (Oakfield, Maine) who had a first half high seven points off the bench along with SJC's Shufelt. Megan Pelletier (Winslow, Maine) would end the first stanza with five points and six boards.
The second half however, the Terriers seemed to find a groove of their own, shooting 55.6% from downtown. Shufelt and Pelletier would both score 10 points for their respective sides, while freshman Emilee Reynolds (Newport, Maine) would provide a spark in the second half as well scoring nine of her 13 points.
Pelletier recorded a double-double 15 points and 10 boards in the loss for the Terriers.
Ten different player put points on the board for the Monks, as Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine) netted nine with eight rebounds, Shannon McFayden (Ipswich, Mass.) and Morgan Cahill (Yarmouth, Maine) added seven apiece, and Abby Young (North Yarmouth, Maine) chipped in with five points in nine minutes. Dufour added six assists and three steals to her line while Shufelt, Hendrix and Colleen Taylor (Lebanon, N.H.) registered three steals each in the win.
With the result, Saint Joseph's improves to 55-5 (.917) in the history of the series with Thomas College and has now topped the Terriers in six consecutive meetings dating back to the 2008-09 campaign. The Monks have posted more wins over Thomas than any other foe in program history and own the .917 winning percentage versus the Terriers is second only to the Monks' .955 (21-1) mark against Lyndon State College.
Saint Joseph's will play at University of New England on Saturday at 1:00 PM while Thomas hosts North Atlantic Conference rival Colby-Sawyer College on Friday at 5:30 PM.
THANKS IN LARGE PART TO THOMAS COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION
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.