STANDISH, Maine - #12/16 Saint Joseph's College (7-0) sailed past Maine Maritime Academy (6-1), 79-58, in a non-conference women's basketball contest at the Harold Alfond Center on Tuesday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Saint Joseph's, ranked 12th and 16th nationally in this week's D3hoops.com and Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) polls, respectively, claimed control early on, as the hosts turned a 14-10 edge with 3:10 left in the first frame into a 15-point (28-13) cushion with a decisive 14-3 run spanning four minutes. Senior forward Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) capped the outbreak with a layup at the 9:13 mark of the second stanza.
Aside from one possession later in the second quarter, the Monks proceeded to lead by double digits for the remainder of the night. The hosts claimed a game-high 24-point advantage after freshman Sophie Giardina (Bradenton, Fla.) drilled a three-pointer with 4:15 remaining in the contest featuring a pair of previously unbeaten teams.
STATS OF THE GAME:
The Monks posted a 20-12 advantage in second-chance points…St. Joe's shot was 16-23 (69.6%) from the free throw line while Maine Maritime went 9-16 from the stripe…The Monks posted a 48.2% (27-56) shooting performance from the field, over 10 points higher than the 37.3% (22-59) mark registered by the Mariners.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Senior guard Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) was 7-11 from the field – including a 5-7 three-point shooting effort – en route to scoring 21 points with six rebounds and a pair of assists
- Senior guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) scored 21 points with five assists and two boards
- Benway contributed 12 points and four caroms and was 5-7 from the floor
- Junior Julia Quinn (Fryeburg, Maine) came off the bench to score nine points
LEADERS – MAINE MARITIME:
- Senior forward Alayne Felix (Mahopac, N.Y.) was 7-9 from the floor with 16 points and seven boards
- Junior guard Melinda Ogden (Searsport, Maine) chipped in with 13 points
- Senior guard Megan McLean (Eliot, Maine) added nine points and three rebounds
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 12-4 all-time versus Maine Maritime Academy and has now defeated the Mariners in seven-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2010-11 campaign.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will host Colby College on Thursday at 6:00 PM while Maine Maritime travels to Amherst College Saturday for a 12:00 PM tip-off.