STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (22-4, 15-1 GNAC) will host Johnson & Wales University (19-7, 13-3 GNAC) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament Semifinal on Thursday at 6:00 PM. The Monks earned the top seed in the GNAC North Division while the Wildcats claimed the #2 seed in the GNAC South Division.

OVERVIEW

Tonight's victor advances to the GNAC Championship, which will be hosted by the highest remaining seed on Saturday. The conference champion earns an automatic berth into the 2017 NCAA DIII Women's Basketball Championship, which begins on March 3rd.

In quarterfinal action on the other side of the bracket, #1S Emmanuel College cruised past #4N Simmons College, 91-64, and #2N Norwich University topped #3S Suffolk University, 67-53. The Saints will host the Cadets in the other semifinal, tonight at 7:00 PM, with the winner moving on to face the Saint Joseph's/Johnson & Wales victor on Saturday.

HOW THEY GOT HERE

In a nail biter quarterfinal contest on Tuesday night, Saint Joseph's slipped past Albertus Magnus College, 64-61, to advance to the GNAC semifinal round for the sixth time in the last seven seasons.

Sophomore guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) led the Monks with 18 points while sophomores Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) and Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) tallied 13 points apiece in the narrow playoff victory.

In another quarterfinal matchup on Tuesday, Johnson & Wales stormed past Rivier University, 66-52, to advance to the field of four remaining teams in contention for the GNAC title.

Junior center Ashley Thompson (Bellingham, Mass.) registered 16 points and seven rebounds while junior guard Raquel Pederzani (Coventry, R.I.) netted 15 with five boards, six assists, and a pair of steals to help lead the Wildcats past the Raiders.

SEASON AT A GLANCE

Saint Joseph's:

• St. Joe's is 22-0 when scoring 62 points or more this season
• The Monks have won 21-consecutive home games, a streak that began last January, with a 14-0 record at home this year (second-longest home win streak in program history – 33 games (1998-1991))
• The Monks feature seven players who average at least 6.0 points per game
• The four teams who have defeated the Monks own a collective 75-24 (.758) record so far this season
• Saint Joseph's ranks second in the GNAC in FG% (39.4%), 3FG per game (7.2), 3FG% (33.4%), fewest turnovers per game (14.8), assists per game (15.3), and fewest fouls per game (15.2)

Johnson & Wales:

• JWU is among the hottest teams in the conference and is currently riding an 11- game winning streak
• The Wildcats are 15-1 in games when scoring at least 57 points and 4-6 when allowing an opponent to score 58 or more
• Johnson & Wales has played well on the road this winter, with an 8-4 record away from the Wildcat Center while posting higher shooting percentages overall and from the FT line in road games
• The Wildcats feature one of the best scoring duos in the GNAC, as Thompson and Pederzani combine to average 31.6 PPG, or 52% of the team's scoring this season
• JWU leads the conference in fewest PPG allowed (53.3), fewest turnovers (13.8), and lowest opponents' three-point percentage (25.3%) and ranks second in the GNAC in FT% (68.5%) and opponents' overall FG% (35.0%)

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Saint Joseph's:

• McNamara leads the SJC offense with 15.2 points per game and ranks as the GNAC-leader in three-pointers made (68) and assists (122) – she is also second in FT% (80.9%) and fourth in three-point percentage (37.0%)
• Benway averages 13.7 points and a team-high 8.7 rebounds per contest – the fifth-highest mark in the conference – and is currently third in the GNAC in field goal percentage (51.4%, 144-280)
• Sophomore guard Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) is an all-around contributor, averaging 8.8 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.7 assists, and 1.4 steals per contest and has been playing well down the stretch with 16.2 PPG over the last seven games

Johnson & Wales:

• A pure post player, Thompson leads the GNAC in field goals made (197) and ranks third in scoring (17.3 PPG), points (450), and blocked shots (38)
• Pederzani is the Wildcats' second-leading scorer (14.3 PPG) and leads the conference in FT% (85.5%) while ranking second in A/TO ratio (1.8), third in assists (112), and fourth in three-pointers made (48)
• Sophomore forward Ally Mishol (Longmeadow, Mass.) averages 7.8 points and 6.3 rebounds per game while shooting 35.9% from the field and 74.4% from the FT line

ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP:

Saint Joseph's: Mike McDevitt '83 (498-190, .724) - 25th collegiate season

Among the most successful coaches in all of NCAA DIII Women's Basketball, McDevitt ranks 20th among active coaches in both winning percentage and victories. Only three coaches in New England have more wins and four have a higher win rate.

During his tenure at Saint Joseph's, Coach McDevitt has guided the Monks to at least 20 wins in 16 different seasons, the ninth-highest total in the history of NCAA DIII Women's Basketball. During his career, McDevitt has garnered eight Coach of the Year accolades, including the GNAC honor in 2014.

Johnson & Wales: Corey Boilard (84-32, .724) – Fifth collegiate season

In only a few short years, Corey Boilard – the 2016 GNAC Coach of the Year - has turned the Johnson & Wales University women's basketball team into one of the top programs in the region.

Last winter, the Wildcats became just the second GNAC program in any sport to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. It marked back-to-back appearances for the JWU. In addition, for the first time, the Wildcats received votes in the national WBCA poll.

In 2016, Boilard's squad set school records with its 24 wins as well as a 7-0 start to the year. In five years as the JWU court boss, Boilard has an 84-32 record.

THE LAST TIME WE MET:

These two teams last played on January 10th, when Saint Joseph's toppled Johnson & Wales by a 62-44 margin in Providence.

The Wildcats held a 34-32 advantage with 5:24 left in the third quarter, but the Monks assembled a 20-3 run, which was capped by a pair of McNamara freebies and the Royal Blue well ahead, 52-37, with 6:02 left in the fourth.

McNamara led all players with 18 points and nine assists in the victory while Benway scored 14 with seven caroms and Champagne provided 10 points, four boards, and a pair of steals.

Thompson netted 16 with eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals while Pederzani added 10 points, five assists, and four boards in the losing effort.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Saint Joseph's is 7-5 in the history of the series with Johnson & Wales University. The Monks' winning margin over the Wildcats earlier this year counts as the team's largest over JWU since January 21st, 2012 (85-49).

GNAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY:

The Monks have appeared in the GNAC Tournament in nine of 10 seasons as a member of the conference and claimed the program's first GNAC Championship in 2014, when the Royal Blue defeated Norwich University, 63-47, in the title game at the Alfond Center on March 1st, 2014.

As the top seed in the 2016 conference tournament, Saint Joseph's defeated perennial powerhouse Emmanuel College, 66-62, in the GNAC Championship in Standish to claim the team's second automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament in the last three seasons.

The Monks are 10-0 at home – and 11-6 overall - in GNAC postseason play since joining the conference in 2007.

In the midst of their 17th GNAC Tournament run, the Wildcats have notched a playoff victory in four-consecutive seasons after going four years (2010-13) without a triumph. JWU has advanced to the semifinal round seven times since joining the GNAC in 1996 – including each of the last four years – and played in two GNAC Championship games with a conference championship in 2015.

Last year, the Wildcats earned the #2 seed in the 2016 GNAC tourney and posted a 76-57 quarterfinal victory Lasell College before falling to #3 Emmanuel College in semifinal action two days later. Johnson & Wales is 9-15 all-time in GNAC postseason play.