NEWTON, Mass. – Saint Joseph's College (18-1, 10-0 GNAC) tied the program's winning streak record with a convincing 58-38 triumph over Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) foe Lasell College (3-14, 1-9 GNAC) on Tuesday night.

With the victory, the Monks have now won 17-consecutive games – the same number of wins Saint Joseph's strung together during the 1985-86 campaign.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Off to a slow start, the Monks trailed 14-10 after the first quarter, but St. Joe's outscored Lasell by a 21-4 margin in the second stanza, a 10-minute span during which the Royal Blue shot 50% (6-12) from the floor and went 7-8 from the free throw line while forcing eight Laser turnovers.

Leading 31-18 at halftime, the Monks' dominance continued into the third quarter to the tune of an 18-8 scoring advantage. Saint Joseph's led by a game-high 30 points (56-26) after junior guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) made a layup with 7:25 remaining in the fourth frame.

STATS OF THE GAME:

The Monks shot 41.2% (21-51) from the floor, 38.1% (8-21) from three-point land, and 80% (8-10) from the free throw line while the Lasers countered with percentages of 30.6% (15-49), 17.4% (4-23), and 40% (4-10) from the field, beyond the arc, and the charity stripe, respectively.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• McNamara led four SJC players in double-digits with 16 points and added six assists, five rebounds, and a pair of steals
• Junior guard Hannah Marks (Waldoboro, Maine) netted 12 points with seven boards, four assists, and two steals and was 6-6 from the FT line
• Junior guard Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) scored 12 points off a 4-7 three-point shooting effort with four caroms and three steals
• Junior forward Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) added 11 points with six rebounds and went 5-8 from the floor

LEADERS – LASELL:

• Morgan Church was the lone Laser in double-digits with 14 points and added four boards, four assists, and a pair of steals
• Dana Ross pulled down a game-high nine rebounds
• Meghan Carroll came off the bench to score eight points

NOTEWORTHY:

The Monks' win streak is tied for the fourth longest in NCAA DIII Women's Basketball behind Amherst (53), Wartburg (19), and Whitman (18)…McNamara became the 11th SJC player to hit the 1,200-point mark in tonight's victory and currently ranks 10th in program history with 1,206 career points.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the victory, Saint Joseph's is now 15-1 in the history of the series with Lasell College and has defeated the Lasers in 14-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2005-06 season.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's hosts GNAC-rival Regis (Mass.) Thursday in a 6:00 PM tip-off.

#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.