STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (7-1) posted a 58-47 victory over Colby College (5-4) in non-conference women's basketball action at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon. With the triumph, Saint Joseph's has now won six-consecutive games with the team's last – and only - loss coming at the hands of Husson University in Bangor on November 17th.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The in-state rivals traded the lead twice with five tie scores in the first quarter, but Colby seemed to be pulling away after sophomore center Emily Davis (Sudbury, Mass.) converted a layup to make it a 20-14 game 1:56 into the second stanza. The Monks' offense came to life shortly thereafter however, as sophomore forward Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) ignited a 16-5 run with a jumper 5:54 before the break and the hosts held a 30-25 advantage when sophomore guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) capped the surge with a three-pointer 2:29 into the third frame.

The Monks held the lead for the remainder of play, but the Mules remained within striking distance and cut their deficit down to three points (50-47) after sophomore guard Katie McCrum (Saco, Maine) drained a jumper with 5:41 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Saint Joseph's proceeded to close out the contest with eight unanswered points, including a pair of Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) freebies, which provided the hosts with their only double-digit advantage of the afternoon, with 32 seconds left.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Benway netted a career-and-game-high 26 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to post her third double-double of the season
• McNamara scored 15 points with five steals, two assists, and a pair of rebounds
• Champagne added six points and seven boards
• Senior Abbie Eastman (Norway, Maine) chipped in with five points and four assists

LEADERS – COLBY:

• Davis paced the Mules with 13 points and grabbed four rebounds
• McCrum neared double-double status with nine points and nine caroms with five assists
• Junior Haley Driscoll (Bedford, N.H.) contributed eight points and eight rebounds with a pair of steals

NEXT!

Both teams are off until Friday, December 30th when Saint Joseph's plays at Southeastern University (1:00 PM) during a trip to Florida and Colby treks to New Jersey for a tilt versus Kean University (1:00 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.