STANDISH, Maine – Johnson & Wales University (16-9, 8-3 GNAC) defeated Saint Joseph's College (16-9, 6-5 GNAC), 59-57, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball contest at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon. The game counted as the regular-season finale for both teams.
Saint Joseph's held the lead for almost the entire contest, as the only lead change occurred when Johnson & Wales freshman guard Raquel Pederzani (Coventry, R.I.) drilled a three-pointer with three seconds remaining in the game, a shot that clinched the visitor's victory.
With the result, Johnson & Wales – which has now won five-consecutive games – earns the #3 seed and Saint Joseph's, the reigning conference champions, receives the sixth seed in the upcoming GNAC Tournament, which begins with a quarterfinal round on Tuesday evening. The Monks will travel to Providence to face the Wildcats in a first-round matchup slated to begin at 5:30 PM on Tuesday.
With the help of a 59.3% (16-27) shooting performance in the first half, Saint Joseph's carried a 40-31 lead into intermission. Junior center Morgan Cahill (Yarmouth, Maine) led all scorers with 11 points before the break.
The Monks' shooting success was nearly cut in the second stanza however, as the hosts went 6-19 (31.6%) from the floor, including an 0-3 effort from downtown, in the closing 20 minutes. The Wildcats actually fared worse in the latter frame, shooting 27.6% (8-29) in the closing half, but managed to outscore the Royal Blue by a 28-17 margin, thanks in part to an 11-15 free-throw shooting effort, to set up the winning bucket from Pederzani. The first-year's trifecta was the Wildcat's lone three-pointer in the second stanza and fifth of the game overall.
For the Monks, Cahill tallied 20 points, seven rebounds and a pair of blocked shots, freshman forward Norma Waggett (Saugus, Mass.) added 11 points, senior guard Sarah Assante (Standish, Maine) registered nine rebounds, four assists and two points, and freshman guard Emily Quirion (Augusta, Maine) contributed seven points and three steals in 16 minutes off the bench. Freshman forward Brianne Maloney (South Portland, Maine) chipped in with six points in the loss.
For the Wildcats, sophomore Bobbie Whitehead (Brooklyn, N.Y.) recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 20 points and 13 rebounds while Pederzani added 15 points with four assists and three steals in the victory. Junior Savannah Kresge (Ellington, Conn.) rounded out the double-figure scorers for JWU with 12 points off the bench.
Saint Joseph's had control of the game early and took their first double-digit advantage when a jumper by Waggett gave the Monks the 15-4 lead with 13:40 left in the first half. The Monks led by as many as 13 points several times in the first half before JWU cut the lead to 34-28 on a three pointer by Kresge with just under two minutes left on the clock. The host Monks took the 40-31 lead heading into halftime.
The Monks held a double-digit lead as a layup by Cahill with 6:13 left in the contest made the score 54-44. Johnson & Wales then chipped away at the lead and knotted the game at 56-56 on a pair of free throws by Whitehead with 52 seconds remaining. A free throw by Cahill put Saint Joseph's up 57-56 to set up the final play. After an inbounds play to Whitehead, the standout forward was triple-teamed and she sent a pass back to Pederzani who drained the deep three-pointer to give the Wildcats the 59-57 victory.
Johnson & Wales held a 40-31 advantage in rebounds for the contest, including a remarkable 22 offensive boards in the victory. The Wildcats also forced Saint Joseph's into 22 turnovers in the win.
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 5-4 all-time versus Johnson & Wales University, a program the Monks had defeated in five-consecutive meetings prior to today's result.
Prior to the start of the game, Saint Joseph's held a brief ceremony to honor Assante, the lone senior on this year's roster. The two-year team captain helped lead the Monks to a collective 75-34 (.688) four-year record, including a 37-10 (.787) mark in conference play during her career. Senior Student Assistant Kim Jordan (Bangor, Maine) also took part in the festivities.
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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.
