STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (11-1, 4-0 GNAC) topped Johnson & Wales University (6-6, 2-1 GNAC), 64-57, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball contest at the Harold Alfond Center on Tuesday evening.
FIRST GLANCE:
Junior guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) led all scorers with 18 points and junior forward Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) posted a double-double with 16 points and 13 rebounds to help the Monks extend their winning streak to 10 games, the program's longest victory string since the 2001-02 campaign.
THE REST OF THE STORY:
Saint Joseph's led by as many as 14 points late in the third quarter, but Johnson & Wales closed the gap down to three points (60-57) with 46 seconds remaining, when junior forward Ally Mishol (Longmeadow, Mass.) capped a 17-6 run with a jump shot. With the help of a 4-4 free-throw shooting effort in the final 30 seconds from McNamara, the Monks managed to hold off the Wildcats and increase their home win streak to 27 games.
KEY STATS:
Saint Joseph's held advantages in free throws made (19-10) and points in the paint (28-18) in the victory.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- McNamara was 7-8 from the FT line with five assists, three rebounds, and a pair of steals
- Junior guard Hannah Marks (Waldoboro, Maine) was 4-7 from three-point range and netted 16 points
- Junior guard Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) added nine points and three boards
LEADERS – JOHNSON & WALES:
- Senior guard Raquel Pederzani (Coventry, R.I.) scored 15 points with two assists and a pair of steals
- Senior forward Bobbie Whitehead (Brooklyn, N.Y.) came off the bench to score 11 points with five boards
- Mishol contributed 10 points and seven rebounds
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 9-5 all-time versus Johnson & Wales University and has now defeated the Wildcats in four-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2015-16 season.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's plays at Simmons College on Thursday in a GNAC contest slated to begin 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.
