WINTHROP, Mass. – The Saint Joseph's College of Maine women's basketball program closed out the GNAC regular season with an 80-48 victory over Norwich University on Saturday afternoon to complete its unblemished 16-0 mark in conference play for the 2017-18 season. The Monks, who have been ranked No. 4 in the first two NCAA Division III Northeast Regional Rankings, are now 24-1 overall on the season and have won 23 straight. They will open up the 2018 GNAC Tournament on Tuesday evening against eighth-seeded Mount Ida College at 5:30 PM.
Tuesday's other three GNAC Quarterfinal matchups will feature second-seeded Emmanuel College hosting seventh-seeded Norwich University, third-seeded Suffolk University taking on sixth-seeded Johnson & Wales University, and fifth-seeded Albertus Magnus College traveling to fourth-seeded Regis (Mass.). All three games will tip off at 7:00 PM.
Albertus has jumped up in the standings to the No. 5 seed after winning seven of its last nine to close out the regular season, including a pair of wins over JWU to grab the tiebreaker over the Wildcats.
There is no reseeding throughout the tournament, which will play out its semifinals on Thursday, February 22, followed by the GNAC Championship at the highest remaining seed on Saturday, February 24. Saint Joseph's will look to capture its third straight GNAC title, and fourth in a five-year span. A year ago, the Monks needed double-overtime to down JWU in the GNAC Semifinals before Emmanuel pushed SJC to overtime in the championship contest.
Be sure to catch all of the tournament action live on thegnac.tv or watch your favorite GNAC teams on one of our four custom digital streaming apps (broadcasts are produced by home institutions).
Tuesday, February 20 - Quarterfinals
Game 1: #8 Mount Ida at #1 Saint Joseph's Maine - 5:30 PM
Game 2: #5 Albertus Magnus at #4 Regis (Mass.) - 7:00 PM
Game 3: #6 Johnson & Wales at #3 Suffolk - 7:00 PM
Game 4: #7 Norwich at #2 Emmanuel - 7:00 PM
Thursday, February 22 - Semifinals
Game 5: 4/5 winner vs 1/8 winner
Game 6: 3/6 winner vs 2/7 winner
Saturday, February 24 - Final
Game 7: Highest remaining seed
Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement.
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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.
