STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (19-3, 3-0 GNAC) defeated Emmanuel College (16-7, 12-2 GNAC), 75-64, in a rematch of the 2016 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Basketball Championship at the Harold Alfond Center on Wednesday evening.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Saint Joseph's trailed for the better part of the first two quarters, but rallied with an 11-2 run in the final minutes of the second stanza to tie the game at 35-35 heading into intermission.

The Monks did not claim their first lead of the night until junior forward Regan McFerran (Albany, N.Y.) converted a fast-break layup off a Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) steal to make it a 37-35 game 12 seconds into the third frame.

St. Joe's held the lead for the remainder of the contest, but did not secure a comfortable advantage until sophomore guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) netted five unanswered points to lifter her squad to a 71-64 cushion with 1:41 left.

The Monks held the Saints to a single free throw in the final four minutes as the visitors went 0-4 from the field down the stretch. McNamara went 4-4 from the FT line in the closing 50 seconds to ice the victory.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• McNamara netted 22 points with three rebounds and five assists while going 8-8 from the free throw line
• Champagne tallied 15 points, six boards, four assists, and two steals
• Junior forward Brianne Maloney (South Portland, Maine) came off the bench to net 10 points in 19 minutes
• Sophomore forward Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) scored nine points with 14 caroms and a pair of assists
• Senior guard Abbie Eastman (Norway, Maine) scored eight points with two rebounds

LEADERS – EMMANUEL:

• Junior guard Alisha Fox (National Park, N.J.) scored a game-high 25 points off a 10-15 shooting performance with a pair of steals
• Senior forward Jen Chalk (Horseheads, N.Y.) tallied 18 points, five boards, two assists, and two steals
• Sophomore guard Olivia Dalphonse (Buxton, Maine) added 11 points with two caroms, four assists, and a pair of steals
• Junior guard Ryan Maynard (Bowie, Md.) notched four steals

NEXT!

Both teams return to action Saturday, when Saint Joseph's travels to Rivier University and Emmanuel hosts Albertus Magnus College. Both GNAC contests are slated to begin at 1:00 PM.

#GOMONKS 

Follow Saint Joseph's Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram!

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.