STANDISH, Maine – Top-seeded Saint Joseph's College (24-1, 16-0 GNAC) will host #8 Mount Ida College (13-12, 6-10 GNAC) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament Quarterfinal on Tuesday at 5:30 PM.

OVERVIEW

Tuesday night's victor advances to the semifinal round of the GNAC Tournament and will face the winner of another quarterfinal matchup - #5 Albertus Magnus College/#4 Regis (Mass.) – on Thursday evening. The higher seed serves as host throughout tourney play.

The other branch of the bracket features quarterfinal contests between #6 Johnson & Wales University and #3 Suffolk University and #7 Norwich University versus #2 Emmanuel College.

The winner of the GNAC Championship game, which will be played on Saturday, February 24th, earns an automatic berth into the 2018 NCAA DIII Women's Basketball Championship, which begins on March 2nd.

SEASON AT A GLANCE

Saint Joseph's:

• The Monks have won 23-consecutive games – the longest winning streak in GNAC Women's Basketball history and carry a 34-game home win streak into tonight's contest
• All five of the Monks' starters are averaging at least 6.0 points per game with four netting 11.0 PPG or better
• The Monks' only loss this season came at the hands of Babson College – a team that advanced to the NCAA DIII Final Four last season - on November 17th
• Saint Joseph's leads the conference in FG% (44.4%), three-pointers made per game (8.5), 3FG% (37.1%), rebound margin per game (9.0), fewest turnovers per game (14.3), fewest personal fouls per game (13.4), fewest PPG allowed (49.8), opponents' FG% (32.7%), and opponents' 3FG% (24.3%)

Mount Ida:

• The Mustangs are 12-2 when scoring 68 or more points this season (Monks are 2-1 when allowing north of 68 points)
• Mount Ida is 3-9 on the road this winter
• All five of the Mustangs' starters are averaging at least 8.3 PPG with a pair posting double-digit averages
• Mount Ida leads the GNAC in free throws made per game (16.5) and free-throw percentage (74.0%) and ranks second in free throws attempted per game (22.3) and steals per game (10.2)

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Saint Joseph's:

• Junior guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) leads the Monks' offense with 17.7 PPG and leads the conference in three-pointers made (73) and assists (141)
• Junior forward Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) is averaging 12.6 PPG and 7.2 RPG and ranks second in the GNAC with a 55.9% (127-227) FG%
• In the midst of a breakout season, junior guard Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) averages 12.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game and is currently fifth in the GNAC in FG% (48.8%, 105-215) and 3FG% (39.1%, 36-92)
• Junior guard Hannah Marks (Waldoboro, Maine) contributes 10.9 PPG and ranks as the GNAC's leading three-point shooter with a 41.1% (53-129) clip from downtown

Mount Ida:

• Sophomore forward Valerie Martin (Derry, N.H.) leads the Mustangs in scoring (16.1 PPG) and rebounding (8.7 RPG) and leads the conference with 142 free throws made – she also ranks fifth in the GNAC in FT% (82.6%) and steals (65)
• Senior guard Brenna Muir (Wareham, Mass.) contributes 10.7 PPG and ranks eighth in the GNAC in assists (91) and ninth in 3FG% (34.3%, 36-105)
• Senior forward Imani Bumpus (Dedham, Mass.) is averaging 9.9 points per game and ranks ninth in the conference with 54 steals
• Senior guard Jamie Moscato (Taunton, Mass.) contributes 9.2 PPG and is 14th in the GNAC with a 42.1% (93-221) FG%

ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP:

Saint Joseph's: Mike McDevitt '83 (524-192, .732) - 26th collegiate season

Among the most successful coaches in all of NCAA DIII Women's Basketball, McDevitt ranks 18th among active coaches in victories and 23rd in winning percentage. Only three coaches in New England have more wins and four have a higher win rate.

During his tenure at Saint Joseph's, Coach McDevitt has guided the Monks to at least 20 wins in 17 different seasons, the seventh-highest total in the history of NCAA DIII Women's Basketball. During his career, McDevitt has garnered 10 'Coach of the Year' accolades, including both the GNAC and Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association (MWBCA) honors last season.

Mount Ida: Katie Greene (85-143, .373) – ninth collegiate season (third @ Mount Ida)

Greene, hired as the Mustangs' head coach prior to the start of the 2015-16 season, has helped Mount Ida improve in the wins total in each of her three seasons, with this year's 13-win total ranking as the second-highest in team history.

Prior to accepting the position at Mount Ida, Greene served as the head coach at Newbury College for six seasons.

THE LAST TIME WE MET:

These two teams last faced off on January 16th, when the Monks toppled the Mustangs by an 82-45 margin at the Harold Alfond Center.

The Monks took control early and shot 62.5% (20-32) from the field – including a 7-12 (58.3) mark from three-point range – en route to securing a 53-21 lead heading into intermission. McNamara and Marks netted 11 points apiece in the opening 20 minutes.

With the starters out of the game for the better part of the second half, the Monks continued to add to their lead and attained a game-high 38-point cushion (76-38) with 6:37 remaining in the game.

McNamara and Marks paced the Monks with 14 points apiece while Bumpus and Martin both netted 10 points in a losing effort for the Mustangs.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Saint Joseph's is 10-1 in the history of the series with Mount Ida College and has defeated the Mustangs in 10-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2007-08 season.

GNAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY:

The Monks have appeared in the GNAC Tournament in 10 of 11 seasons as a member of the conference and claimed the program's first GNAC Championship in 2014, when the Royal Blue defeated Norwich University, 63-47, in the title game at the Alfond Center on March 1st, 2014.

As the top seed in the 2016 conference tournament, Saint Joseph's defeated perennial powerhouse Emmanuel College, 66-62, in the GNAC Championship and the Monks claimed their second-consecutive title with an overtime 81-70 win over the Saints in the 2017 GNAC Championship.

The Monks are 12-0 at home – and 13-6 overall - in GNAC postseason play since joining the conference in 2007.

The Mustangs will be making their third appearance in the GNAC Tournament (first since the 2011-12 campaign) and are seeking their first GNAC tourney victory.