STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (17-3, 11-0 GNAC) defeated Anna Maria College (3-15, 1-10 GNAC), 82-57, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball action at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The game was close early the conference counterparts stood at a 14-14 stalemate after the first quarter and the Monks owned a 26-24 edge with 2:50 before the break. Saint Joseph's gained some wiggle room by closing out the half with a 10-4 run, with two Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) three-pointers and a pair of Brianne Maloney (South Portland, Maine) buckets, and headed into halftime with a 36-28 lead.

In the first 38 seconds of the third quarter, the AMCATS cut their deficit down to 36-33 with a Shannon Hofmiller (Oxford, Conn.) layup and a three-pointer from senior guard Nicole Mareiro (Acushnet, Mass.), but the SJC offense responded with a game-changing 21-6 run en route to securing a 57-39 cushion with 2:22 left in the third frame.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Sophomore forward Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) led all players with 21 points and pulled down seven rebounds
• Champagne netted 16 points off a 5-8 three-point performance with five boards and four steals
• Sophomore guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) tallied 10 points, 11 assists, three caroms, and two steals
• Maloney came off the bench to provide 10 points and three boards
• Sophomore guard Hannah Marks (Waldoboro, Maine) chipped in with nine points and six rebounds

LEADERS – ANNA MARIA:

• Mareiro scored 11 points with three rebounds
• Senior guard Christina Gauvin (Dudley, Mass.) posted 10 points, two boards, and a pair of assists
• Senior forward Emily Capstick (Worcester, Mass.) came off the bench to score nine points with three rebounds and two helpers
• Sophomore guard Leah Wright (Summerville, S.C.) chipped in with seven points and two caroms

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's is off until next Saturday when the Monks travel to Suffolk University for a 1:00 PM conference contest. Anna Maria hosts non-conference foe Fisher College Tuesday 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.