STANDISH, Maine – Top-seeded Saint Joseph's College (25-1, 16-0 GNAC) will host #5 Albertus Magnus College (18-7, 11-5 GNAC) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament Semifinal on Thursday at 7:00 PM.

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Saint Joseph's cruised past #8 Mount Ida College, 83-54, in quarterfinal play on Tuesday night. In the victory, the Monks held a 43-22 lead in rebounds and, subsequently, posted a 44-10 points in the paint advantage. St. Joe's overcame a lack of ball security (24 turnovers) by shooting 57.4% (31-54) from the field, the team's second-highest percentage of the season.

Albertus Magnus notched the only upset victory of the GNAC Tournament's first round with a 51-49 triumph at #4 Regis (Mass.) on Tuesday evening. Trailing 48-41 early in the fourth quarter, the Falcons tied the game with 3:07 left and went 3-4 from the FT line in the final minute to claim the narrow triumph. The AMC defense held the Regis (Mass.) shooters to just one field goal in 12 attempts in the closing 10 minutes.

Interestingly, the Falcons did not dip into their bench at all in the victory, as all five starters logged 40 minutes apiece on the evening.

OVERVIEW

Thursday's winner advances to the GNAC Championship and will face the winner of another semifinal matchup - #3 Suffolk University/#2 Emmanuel College– with the highest remaining seed serving as the host - on Saturday.

The winner of the GNAC Championship game earns an automatic berth into the 2018 NCAA DIII Women's Basketball Championship, which begins on March 2nd.

Tuesday, February 20 - Quarterfinals

• Game 1: #1 Saint Joseph's Maine 83, #8 Mount Ida 54
• Game 2: #5 Albertus Magnus 51, #4 Regis (Mass.) 49
• Game 3: at #3 Suffolk 68, #6 Johnson & Wales 46
• Game 4: #2 Emmanuel 79, #7 Norwich 52

Thursday, February 22 - Semifinals

• Game 5: #5 Albertus Magnus at #1 Saint Joseph's Maine - 7:00 PM
• Game 6: #3 Suffolk at #2 Emmanuel - 7:00 PM

Saturday, February 24 - Final

• Game 7: Highest remaining seed

SEASON AT A GLANCE

Saint Joseph's:

• The Monks have won 24-consecutive games – the longest winning streak in the history of both SJC Athletics and GNAC Women's Basketball and carry a 35-game home win streak into the semifinal contest
• All five of the Monks' starters are averaging at least 6.0 points per game with four netting 10.8 PPG or better
• The Monks' only loss this season came at the hands of Babson College – a team that advanced to the NCAA DIII Sweet 16 last season - on November 17th
• Saint Joseph's leads the conference in FG% (44.8%), three-pointers made per game (8.5), 3FG% (37.2%), rebound margin per game (9.5), fewest turnovers per game (14.7), fewest personal fouls per game (13.3), fewest PPG allowed (50.0), opponents' FG% (32.7%), and opponents' 3FG% (24.6%)

Albertus Magnus:

• ­The Falcons are 15-2 this season when scoring 65 or more points and 5-0 when making 18 or more free throws; the Falcons' 51 points against Regis (Mass.) on Tuesday counts as the lowest total they have scored in a victory all season
• Albertus Magnus is 10-3 in away games and has not suffered a loss on the road since falling to Suffolk University, 70-54, on January 13th
• Albertus enters Thursday's tourney tilt having won six of the last seven contests with the only setback coming at the hands of the Monks on February 10th
• The Falcons lead the GNAC in all three rebounding categories – offensive (15.6), defensive (32.7), and total (48.3) – as well as free throw attempts per game (24.6), and rank second in the conference in field goal attempts per game (68.3), free throws made per game (14.3), and blocked shots per game (4.3)

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Saint Joseph's:

• Junior guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) leads the Monks' offense with 18.0 PPG and leads the conference in three-pointers made (76) and assists (148)
• In the midst of a breakout season, junior guard Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) averages 12.9 points, 5.7 rebounds, 2.6 assists, and 1.5 steals per game and currently leads the GNAC in 3FG% (41.1%, 39-95), ranks fourth in A/TO ratio (1.8), and fifth in in FG% (50.7%, 114-225)
• Junior forward Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) is averaging 12.5 PPG and 7.2 RPG and ranks second in the GNAC with a 56.2% (132-235) FG%
• Junior guard Hannah Marks (Waldoboro, Maine) contributes 10.8 PPG and ranks second in the GNAC in 3FG% (40.8%, 53-130) and fifth in three-pointers made (53)

Albertus Magnus:

• Senior forward Olivia Bolden (South Windsor, Conn.), a three-time All-GNAC honoree, is averaging 21.6 points and 13.8 rebounds per game and leads the conference in points (541), field goals made (212), offensive rebounds, total rebounds (345), and rebounds average
• Junior guard Jill Johnson (North Haven, Conn.) is averaging 16.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists, and 3.6 assists per game – she leads the GNAC in steals (86), ranks sixth in free throws made (105), and eighth in field goals made (134) and scoring average
• Junior guard Kiki Epps (Norwalk, Conn.) contributes 10.5 points and 7.0 rebounds per tilt and ranks eighth in the GNAC in offensive rebounds (70)

ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP:

Saint Joseph's: Mike McDevitt '83 (525-192, .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.

Albertus Magnus: JR Fredette (82-74, .526) – sixth season

Fredette, named as the Falcons' head coach prior to the start of the 2012-13 campaign, has led Albertus to four winning seasons, including the second 20-win performance in program history (20-8) in his first year.

THE LAST TIME WE MET:

The Monks and Falcons last met on February 10th, when Saint Joseph's toppled Albertus Magnus by a 74-39 margin in New Haven.

The Monks took control from the get-go and held a commanding 16-3 lead after Champagne made a layup with 4:07 left in the first quarter. Saint Joseph's boasted a 24-9 advantage after 10 minutes and carried a 46-18 cushion into intermission.

The Monks netted 23 points off 22 Falcon turnovers (while committing just 10 turnovers) and shot 50% (11-22) from three-point distance in the lopsided victory.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Saint Joseph's is 14-0 in the history of the series with Albertus Magnus College. These two teams also faced off in the opening round of the 2017 conference tournament, when the Monks edged the Falcons, 64-61, in quarterfinal action at the Alfond Center on February 21st, 2017.

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 13-0 at home – and 14-6 overall - in GNAC postseason play since joining the conference in 2007. On Thursday, St. Joe's will be making an appearance in the GNAC semifinal round for the seventh time – the Monks are 4-2 in the penultimate round of the GNAC tourney.

The Falcons are in the midst of their 17th GNAC Tournament appearance and are playing in a semifinal contest for the first time since the 2012-13 season, when AMC defeated Rivier University in quarterfinal play.

Albertus Magnus is 11-15 all-time in GNAC Tournament play and last advanced to the GNAC Championship game in 1998, when they fell to University of Saint Joseph by an 85-74 score.

#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.