STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's (10-7, 4-2 GNAC) rallied in the second half to defeat Johnson & Wales University (5-11, 2-3 GNAC), 71-61, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball contest at the Harold Alfond Center on Monday night.

The visiting-Wildcats held a 12-point (24-12) lead with 5:20 remaining in the first half but the Monks produced a 15-7 run to close the opening period and cut the deficit down to 31-27 heading into intermission. The momentum continued for Saint Joseph's after the break as the hosts started the second stanza with a 12-2 outburst en route to capturing a 39-33 advantage with 16:56 remaining.

The Monks would not trail again for the rest of the evening, but Johnson & Wales was able to keep pace and faced a three-point (47-44) deficit after senior guard Marina Milian (Chester, N.Y.) made a layup with 10:58 left. The visitors would not find the scoreboard for just over four minutes, a spell during which the hosts tallied 10 unanswered points on the way to securing a 57-44 lead. Junior forward Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H.) capped the run with a layup to make the score 57-44, in favor of the Monks, with 7:06 to play.

Johnson & Wales made one last push, as three-pointers by Jenna Juron (Burnt Hills, N.Y.) and Chrissy Toth (Queens, N.Y.) made it a 57-50 contest with 6:26 left, but Saint Joseph's answered with a 10-1 run and held their largest lead (67-51) of the evening after sophomore guard Sarah Assante (Standish, Maine) made a pair of freebies to cap the burst.

Perhaps the biggest story of the evening was the Monks' effort from the free throw line, as the hosts made 30 of 44 attempts taken from the charity stripe in the triumph. The freebies-made tally is the most by Saint Joseph's over the last fourteen seasons and the attempt total is the most by an SJC team since February 26th, 2001 when the Monks put up 48 FT shots in a 69-50 win over Husson.

The program records for free throws made (40) and attempted (51) both occurred in a 98-84 victory over Emmanuel College on January 26th, 1993. The Monks also attempted 51 shots from the line versus Thomas College on November 30th, 1989.

For the Monks, Morgan Cahill (Yarmouth, Maine) posted her eighth double-double of the year with 14 points and 10 boards and added five blocked shots in the triumph. Senior guard Danyelle Shufelt (Sutton, Vt.) tallied 12 points and five assists and was 8-8 from the FT line and Moore added 11 points off a 5-7 shooting effort. Junior Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) chipped in nine points, junior Abby Young (North Yarmouth, Maine) contributed eight points and Assante chimed in with seven points and four caroms on the evening.

For the Wildcats, Milian registered 17 points, six boards and a pair of steals, Juron tallied 17 points, five rebounds and three dimes and sophomore Natalie DiCocco (Media, Pa.) added 10 points, three assists and three steals in a losing effort.

Overall, Saint Joseph's shot 47.6% (20-42) from the floor, 20% (1-5) from three-point range and 68.2% (30-44) from the free throw line while Johnson & Wales shot 33.8% (22-65) from the field, 38.9% (7-18) from downtown and 71.4% (10-14) from the charity stripe.

With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 3-3 in the history of the series with Johnson & Wales.

The Monks return to the hardwood on Wednesday with a 6:00 PM tip-off at Mount Ida College while the Wildcats return to action on Thursday when they host Framingham State in a non-conference contest at 7:00 PM.

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.