STANDISH, Maine - Saint Joseph's College (14-2, 8-0 GNAC) defeated University of Saint Joseph (7-8, 2-5 GNAC), 74-47, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball action at the Harold Alfond Center on Thursday evening.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

University of Saint Joseph opened the contest with eight unanswered points and held a 16-4 cushion after sophomore forward Diamond Wallen (Hartford, Conn.) hit a jumper with 5:25 left in the first quarter.

The Monks, 1-7 from the field in the opening five minutes, finally clicked offensively and effectively put the game out of reach with a 32-4 run and led by a 36-20 margin after sophomore guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) drilled a three-pointer with 3:56 left in the second quarter.

Leading 40-25 at intermission, the Monks extended their lead to a game-high 33 points (60-27) when junior forward Regan McFerran (Albany, N.Y.) made a layup with 35 seconds remaining in the third frame. The Monks held the Blue Jays to just four points – off a 1-13 shooting effort – in the third quarter.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Sophomore forward Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) led all scorers with 15 points and pulled down nine rebounds
• Junior forward Brianne Maloney (South Portland, Maine) came off the bench to score 13 points with seven boards and a pair of assists
• McNamara was 4-6 from three-point distance with 12 points, five assists, three rebounds, and two steals
• McFerran added five points, six caroms, two assists, and a pair of steals
• Senior guard Abbie Eastman (Norway, Maine) was 6-6 from the FT line with four rebounds
• Freshman guard Julia Quinn (Fryeburg, Maine) scored six points in 11 minutes

LEADERS – UNIVERSITY OF SAINT JOSEPH:

• Junior forward Kayla Guest (Newington, Conn.) scored 10 points with two rebounds and a pair of assists
• Senior guard Carlee Putnam (Niantic, Conn.) tallied nine points, five steals, three assists, and two boards
• Wallen chipped in with nine points and four caroms
• Junior guard Rajeen Mayo (Middletown, Conn.) contributed eight points, four rebounds, and three assists

NEXT!

Both teams travel to face GNAC opponents this Saturday, when Saint Joseph's plays at Simmons College in a 2:30 PM start and University of Saint Joseph travels to Emmanuel College for a 1:00 PM tip-off.

#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.