Monks Top Rams in GNAC Championship Rematch, 77-63

Monks Top Rams in GNAC Championship Rematch, 77-63

STANDISH, Maine - #11 Saint Joseph's College (19-0, 7-0 GNAC) rallied from an early deficit to defeat Suffolk University (14-5, 6-1 GNAC), 77-63, in a rematch of the 2018 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball championship at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Rams held a 32-30 lead after sophomore guard Gabriella DeComo (Portsmouth, R.I.) made a layup with 4:25 left in the second quarter before the Monks rattled off 11 unanswered points to claim a 41-32 cushion four minutes later. Suffolk sophomore guard Jenni-Rose DiCecco (Falmouth, Mass.) cut her team's shortfall down to six points (41-35) when she hit a three-pointer with four seconds before the break.

The SJC advantage fell to 41-38 after the Rams hit another three on their first possession of the third frame, but the Monks essentially put the game away with a 21-6 run, which was capped by an Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) fast-break layup and the hosts on top by a contest-high 18 points (62-44) with 4:10 left in the third quarter.

STATS OF THE GAME:

The Monks held the lead in points off turnovers (16-7), points in the paint (34-22), and fast-break points (11-4) in the victory.

BEYOND THE BOX:

  • The Monks have now won 25-consecutive regular-season games versus conference opponents – the team's last in-season loss at the hands of a GNAC foe took place on February 11th, 2017 when St. Joe's fell at Rivier, 66-61
  • With the win, Saint Joseph's extends the program's home winning streak to 46 games

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

  • Benway just missed a double-double with 20 points and nine rebounds and was 9-for-10 from the field
  • Senior guard Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) was 7-for-11 from the floor, including a 4-for-6 effort from downtown, with 20 points and three rebounds
  • Senior guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) added 19 points, nine assists, and six rebounds

LEADERS – SUFFOLK:

  • Senior guard Marissa Gudauskas (Bolton, Conn.) scored 19 points – including 15 in the first quarter)
  • DiCecco nearly notched a triple-double with 14 points, nine rebounds and nine assists
  • Junior guard Alexis Hackett (Charlton, Mass.) chipped in with 12 points, six boards, six assists, and a pair of steals

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 14-7 in the history of the series with Suffolk University and has now defeated the Rams in seven-consecutive meetings.

NEXT!

The Monks are off until next Thursday when the team travels to Nashua, N.H. to face off against GNAC-rival Rivier University. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 PM.

 

#GOMONKS

 

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Founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy in Portland, Maine, Saint Joseph’s College is Maine’s Catholic liberal arts college in the Mercy tradition. We are inclusive of all faiths, including no faith. The 474-acre campus, located on the shore of Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine offers more than 40 undergraduate programs and a Division III athletic program to a population of approximately 1,000 on-campus students. A pioneer of distance education since the 1970s, the College also provides online certificates and undergraduate and graduate degrees for thousands more working adults who reside in more than 20 other countries. In 2015 the College was selected by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching to receive its Community Engagement Classification, highlighting the College’s focus on community service throughout its mission and daily interactions within local, regional, and global communities. In 2018, Princeton Review recognized SJC as one of its “Green Colleges” for its sustainability initiatives. Learn more at www.sjcme.edu.