KEENE, N.H. – Saint Joseph's College (2-1) defeated Keene State College (0-2), 76-71 in overtime, in the 2017 Zero Gravity Keene State Tip-Off Tournament Consolation game on Saturday afternoon.

FIRST GLANCE:

Junior guards Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) and Hannah Marks (Waldoboro, Maine) netted 15 points apiece to help lift the Monks to an overtime victory in a game that featured 11 ties and 13 lead changes.

THE REST OF THE STORY:

The Owls held a 35-33 edge at the half and carried a 50-45 lead into the fourth quarter, but the Monks –trailing 62-55 with 3:23 remaining – recorded an 8-1 run, bookended by a pair of Brianne Maloney (South Portland, Maine) buckets, to knot the game at 63 apiece.

Keene State freshman guard Lilly Shlimon (Pelham, N.H.) had a chance to seal the victory for the Owls, but a last-second layup attempt fell off the mark.

The regional rivals continued to play it close in overtime and Keene State owned a 71-68 cushion after senior guard Sandi Purcell (Hudson, N.H.) converted a free throw with 1:24 on the OT clock. Saint Joseph's proceeded to rattle off eight unanswered points in the closing 75 seconds, as Marks lifted the Monks to a 72-71 lead with 52 seconds left and McNamara drained four free-throw attempts in the final 30 seconds to clinch the victory.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• McNamara added six assists and six rebounds
• Marks posted seven boards
• Maloney tallied seven points, nine rebounds, six assists, and two steals
• Sophomore guard Julia Quinn (Fryeburg, Maine) came off the bench to score 13 points with three rebounds
• Senior forward Regan McFerran (Albany, N.Y.) chipped in with 11 points with four caroms

LEADERS – KEENE STATE:

• Purcell led all players with 21 points and was 5-18 from beyond the arc
• Shlimon added 13 points and nine rebounds

TEAM STATS:

Keene State held the lead in rebounds (47-41), assists (16-15), and bench points (21-20) while Saint Joseph's posted advantages in points off turnovers (20-14) and second-chance points (7-2).

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Saint Joseph's is now 1-1 all-time versus Keene State College as today's contest was the first meeting between the two programs since the 2003-04 campaign.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's will play at UMaine-Farmington on Tuesday at 5:30 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.