BOSTON, MA – Saint Joseph's College (17-5, 7-1 GNAC) cruised past Simmons College (2-17, 0-8 GNAC), 54-28, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball action on Tuesday evening. Senior forward Abby Young (North Yarmouth, Maine) netted a game-high 17 points in the victory.
The conference contest was close early and the host-Sharks held a 9-7 lead after senior guard Leah Davis (Cranston, R.I.) hit a jumper 5:34 into play. The advantage would be the last for Simmons however, as the Monks closed out the opening period with a 17-5 run – including 10 unanswered points over an eight-minute span – and held a 24-14 cushion heading into intermission.
The second stanza began in a similar fashion, as Saint Joseph's reeled off 10 consecutive points en route to securing a 34-14 lead with 16:50 remaining. Senior guard Skyler Makkinje (Hillsboro, N.H.) capped the outburst with a pair of freebies to make it a 20-point game. The Monks would lead by at least 18 for the rest of the evening.
For Saint Joseph's, freshman forward Molly Mack (Portland, Maine/McAuley) recorded 10 points and four rebounds, senior guard Mackenzie Dufour (Augusta, Maine) added five points, four boards and four assists, senior guard Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) posted six points, three caroms, three dimes and a career-high five steals, and freshman guard Abbie Eastman (Norway, Maine) contributed six points and a pair of rebounds in the triumph.
For Simmons, Davis netted 11 and freshman forward Liz Brasa (East Hartford, Conn.) registered seven points and nine rebounds in a losing effort.
The Sharks' point total in tonight's contest is the fewest allowed by an SJC women's basketball team since the Royal Blue toppled Lasell College by a 71-21 margin nearly three years ago to the day (February 12th, 2011). The Monks' team record for fewest points allowed came in a 73-14 win over University of New England on February 4th, 1979.
Both teams host GNAC opponents on Saturday when Saint Joseph's faces Suffolk University at 1:00 PM and Simmons battles University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) at 1:00 PM. The Monks are set to hold Senior Day festivities when the Rams come to the Harold AlfondHarold Alfond Center this Saturday.
Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
