STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (15-4, 5-0 GNAC) posted a decisive 90-59 victory over University of Saint Joseph (2-17, 1-6 GNAC) in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball action at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon.

THE LEAD

The Monks set the tone early by draining five of seven three-point attempts and shooting 55% (11-20) overall in the first quarter. Leading 27-4 heading into the second frame, Saint Joseph's – with the help of 64 bench points - proceeded to maintain at least a 20-point advantage for the remainder of the contest.

The day was highlighted by a pair of players on the opposite ends of their respective collegiate careers, as senior center Morgan Cahill (Yarmouth, Maine) reached a pair of milestones in the victory and freshman guard Hannah Marks (Waldoboro, Maine), who netted a game-high 21 points, enjoyed her finest performance as a college player to date.

Cahill became the fifth player in SJC women's basketball history to surpass the 1,500-point plateau when she made a layup – off an Emily Kehoe (Perkinsville, Vt.) pass – with 6:38 left in the second quarter. Just 16 seconds earlier, the four-year starter notched the 200th block shot of her career when she rejected a layup attempt by Blue Jays sophomore guard Rajeen Mayo (Middletown, Conn.). Cahill hit both landmarks in what was the 100th game of her collegiate career.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S

• Marks went 5-5 from three-point distance and was 6-8 from the field with three rebounds in only 12 minutes of playing time
• Cahill capped the day with 14 points off a 7-12 shooting effort with three caroms
• Sophomore Brianna Holdren (Portland, Maine) produced nine points and four boards off the bench
• Freshman guard Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) added nine points with three caroms, two assists, and a pair of steals while maintaining perfect lines from the floor (3-3) and the FT line (3-3)
• Freshman guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) added seven points with a pair of assists
• Freshman forward Ayla Tartre (Saco, Maine/McAuley) scored seven points with a pair of rebounds
• Sophomore forward Norma Waggett (Saugus, Mass.) pulled down a game-high nine boards with four points
• Sophomore forward Brianne Maloney (South Portland, Maine) dealt five assists with three caroms

LEADERS – UNIVERSITY OF SAINT JOSEPH

• Junior guard Carlee Putnam (Niantic, Conn.) paced the Blue Jays with 16 points
• Mayo contributed 12 points, seven boards, three assists, and three steals
• Junior forward Elisha Pertillar (Windsor, Conn.) chipped in with 10 points and eight rebounds
• Senior guard Stephanie DeJesus (Meriden, Conn.) added eight points, three caroms, and three assists

TEAM STATS

Saint Joseph's shot 49.3% (33-67) from the floor, 52.2% (12-23) from three-point distance, and 70.6% (12-17) from the free throw line. University of Saint Joseph countered by shooting 30.5% (18-59) from the field, 25% (3-12) from downtown, and 90.9% (20-22) from the charity stripe in a losing effort.

The Monks held sizeable advantages in rebounds (45-34), assists (28-7), turnovers (14-20), points off turnovers (34-20), points in the paint (28-18), second-chance points (18-9), and bench points (64-7) in the triumph.

NOTEWORTHY

With 1,503 career points, Cahill ranks fifth on the Monks' career scoring list behind Kendra Coates '91 (1,775), Carolyn Brooks '88 (1,630), Mary Lou Kimball '89 (1,584), and Linda Johnson '81 (1,560)…Cahill is just three blocks away from breaking the program's career record, currently held by Ashley Geel '12 (202)…the Monks set a new single-game record for three-pointers made and posted the highest three-point percentage in the last 16 seasons in today's victory…SJC also tallied the most assists (28) since the Royal Blue registered 32 dimes versus Newbury College on January 8th, 2008…64 bench points is the highest total amassed by the Monks this season, topping the previous high – 42, vs. Fisher College (12/12/15) – by a wide margin.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 7-2 in the history of the series with University of Saint Joseph, a team that defeated the Monks, 57-50, in Connecticut last season. The Monks' point tally in today's contest is the most recorded by either team in the nine-game matchup.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's hosts GNAC-rival Rivier University (8-11, 3-3 GNAC) at 7:00 PM on Tuesday. University of Saint Joseph travels to Trinity College on Tuesday for a non-conference contest slated to begin at 7:00 PM.

#GOMONKS

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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 474-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.