LEWISTON, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (9-1) outlasted Bates College (5-7), 77-66, in a non-conference women's basketball game on Tuesday night. The Monks have now won eight-consecutive games.

FIRST GLANCE:

Juniors Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) and Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) combined to net 51 points with 28 and 23, respectively, and the Monks made 12 of 13 free throw attempts in the fourth quarter to snap a three-game winning streak for the Bobcats.

THE REST OF THE STORY:

After outscoring Bates by a 26-9 margin in the second quarter, Saint Joseph's carried a 41-25 cushion into intermission and led 61-48 after McNamara converted a traditional three-point play with 6:50 remaining in the fourth frame.

Over the following four minutes, the Bobcats assembled a 13-5 run – which included nine points from senior forward Nina Davenport (Freeport, Maine) – to make it a five-point (66-61) game with 2:41 on the clock. St. Joe's managed to hold off the hosts by going 9-10 from the charity stripe in the closing 40 seconds, with McNamara connecting on all six of her attempts.

STAT OF THE GAME:

Saint Joseph's was 23 for 27 (85.2%) from the free throw line in the victory, with the highest FT percentage (minimum 15 attempts) since shooting 88.9% (16-18) in a 58-47 win over Colby College on December 10th, 2016, and the most freebies made since SJC connected for 26 in a GNAC Tournament win over Johnson & Wales University on February 23rd, 2017.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• McNamara was perfect (11-11) from the FT line and added three rebounds, three blocked shots, and a pair of assists
• Benway converted 11 of 13 field goal attempts and pulled down seven boards
• Junior guard Hannah Marks (Waldoboro, Maine) added eight points and six caroms
• Junior guard Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) contributed seven points, nine boards, and seven assists with a pair of steals

LEADERS – BATES:

• Davenport netted 27 points with five rebounds and three blocks
• Sophomore guard Melanie Binkhorst (West Hartford, Conn.) registered 12 points, seven boards, and five assists

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 17-14 in the history of the series with Bates College and has now defeated the Bobcats in five-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2013-14 season.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's resumes Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play Saturday with a 1:00 PM contest at Norwich University.

#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.