STANDISH, Maine – #12/14 Saint Joseph's College (28-1, 12-0 GNAC) is set to take on Ithaca College (23-5, 15-3 Liberty League) in the second round of the NCAA DIII Women's Basketball Tournament at Ben Light Gymnasium in Ithaca, New York tonight at 5:00 PM.
TICKET INFORMATION:
$7 – For Adults
$4 – For Youths, Students and Senior Citizens
COVERAGE:
Live Video: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/ithaca/
Live Stats: https://athletics.ithaca.edu/sidearmstats/wbball/summary
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
The Monks defeated MIT in the first round last night, 68-61, at Ben Light Gymnasium. Senior guard Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) led the way with 24 points in the victory.
Saint Joseph's – ranked 12th and 14th nationally in this week's WBCA and D3Hoops.com polls, respectively - is one of 20 teams in the nation to earn an at-large (Pool C) berth. The Monks join Amherst, Bowdoin, Middlebury, and Smith among the five New England Region programs to gain entrance into the national tournament after failing to win their respective conference championship.
The Bombers topped SUNY-Poly, 68-58, in first round action last evening on their home court. Sophomore guard Grace Cannon (Bloomfield, N.J.) scored 21 points and was 7-for-7 from the free-throw line in the triumph.
Ithaca earned the Liberty League's automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament after defeating RIT, 75-73 in overtime, in the conference championship on February 24th.
WHAT'S NEXT:
The winner of tonight's contest advances to the NCAA Tournament 'Sweet 16' and will face the winner of the DeSales/Middlebury second-round matchup next Friday.
SEASON AT A GLANCE
Saint Joseph's:
- The Monks' perfect regular season (27-0) was the first in program and GNAC women's basketball history; Saint Joseph's was one of just three teams in the nation to remain undefeated throughout the regular season
- St. Joe's won a college-record 51-consecutive home games and carried a 38-game winning streak versus GNAC opponents into the championship contest versus Emmanuel last Saturday
- Four of the Monks' five starters are averaging at least 11.0 PPG
- Saint Joseph's, ranked sixth in this week's NCAA DIII Northeast Regional Rankings, leads the GNAC in three-pointers made per game (9.6), three-pointers attempted per game (26.3), three-point FG% (36.6%), fewest turnovers per game (12.2), fewest points per game allowed (56.9), and opponents' three-point FG% (27.5%)
- In NCAA Division III Women's Basketball, the Monks rank first in assistant turnover ratio (1.48) and second in win-loss percentage (96.4%)
Ithaca:
- Including last night's win over SUNY-Poly, Ithaca has won seven-consecutive games
- Three of the Bombers' five losses have come at the hands of regionally ranked opponents, including the top-ranked team in the Mid-Atlantic, Scranton (65-53), and the #1 team in the South Region, Texas-Dallas (70-62)
- Ithaca ranks seventh in NCAA DIII Women's Basketball in blocked shots (166) and 10th in blocked shots per game (5.9)
- The Bombers lead the Liberty League in 13 different statistical categories, including assists (441), points (1,936), free throws made (319), scoring offense (69.1 PPG), steals (300), and turnovers forced per game (20.29)
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Saint Joseph's:
- (#10) Senior guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.), the 2019 GNAC Player of the Year honoree, is averaging 20.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game while shooting 44.1% (199-451) from the floor, 37.8% (88-233) from downtown, and 88.2% (120-136) from the FT line this season; she currently ranks second in NCAA DIII Women's Basketball in assists (199), fourth in three-pointers made, fifth in assists average and points (606), seventh in FT%, and 11th in scoring average
- (#41) Senior forward Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.), a three-time All-GNAC selection, is averaging 12.7 points and 9.4 rebounds per game and leads the GNAC in field goal percentage (57.8%), ranks second in offensive rebounds (131), third in total rebounds (273), and sixth in rebounding average
- (#14) Senior guard Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine), a two-time All-Conference honoree, is averaging 13.9 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game and currently ranks fourth in the conference in three-pointers made (58), fifth in three-point shooting percentage (37.7%) and ninth in points (404)
- (#22) Senior guard Hannah Marks (Waldoboro, Maine), who claimed her first All-GNAC nod this winter, contributes 11.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per contest and ranks second in the conference in three-point percentage (40.2%, 66-164); she also ranks third in three-pointers made (66) and eighth in assist/turnover ratio (1.6)
Ithaca:
- (#34) Junior forward Cassidy O'Malley (Summit, N.J.), a First Team All-Liberty League selection, leads the Bombers in scoring (16.9 PPG), rebounding (6.0 RPG), and blocked shots (61)
- (#10) Senior guard Annie Giannone (Auburn, N.Y.), who also garnered First Team All-Conference accolades, is third on the team in scoring (9.3 PPG) and leads the squad with 117 assists and 64 steals
- (#4) Sophomore guard Grace Cannon (Bloomfield, N.J.), who earned All-Liberty League honorable mention acclaim this season, leads the Bombers in FT% (84.0%, 63-75) and is second on the team in scoring (9.9 PPG), field goals made (100), free throws made (63), rebounds (150), and blocked shots (29)
ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP:
Saint Joseph's: Mike McDevitt '83 (556-194, .741) - 27th collegiate season
Among the most successful coaches in all of NCAA DIII Women's Basketball, McDevitt – the 2019 GNAC Coach of the Year - ranks 17th among active coaches in victories and 24th in winning percentage. Only three coaches in New England have more wins and four (10+ years) have a higher win rate.
During his tenure at Saint Joseph's, Coach McDevitt has guided the Monks to at least 20 wins in 18 different seasons, the sixth-highest total in the history of NCAA DIII Women's Basketball, with 18 championships. During his career, McDevitt has garnered 13 'Coach of the Year' accolades, including GNAC, Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association (MWBCA), and New England Women's Basketball Association (NEWBA) honors last season.
Ithaca: Dan Raymond (415-147, .738) – 20th collegiate season
Ithaca's winningest women's basketball coach, Raymond has led the Bombers to the program's most successful era during his tenure as head coach. With 14 appearances in the NCAA playoffs, the Bombers have reached the second round nine times, the "Sweet 16" three times (2003, 2013 and 2014) and the "Elite 8" in 2014. Raymond led the Bombers to a school-record 23 victories in 2001-02. The 2003-04 team tied that mark. His 2011-12 team snapped that record with 24 victories, before the 2012-13 squad rewrote it again with 27 wins. He led Ithaca to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time in program history, after clinching its third straight Empire 8 title in 2012-13.
With 14 20-win seasons at Ithaca, Raymond has garnered multiple 'Coach of the Year' honors, including three-consecutive D3Hoops.com East Region Coach of the Year accolades and eight Empire 8 top coach awards.
THE LAST TIME WE MET:
Tonight's meeting will be the first-ever between the Monks' and Bombers' women's basketball programs.
COMMON FOES:
Saint Joseph's and Ithaca do not share any common foes on their respective schedules this season.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
N/A
NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY:
The Monks are in the midst of their fifth NCAA Tournament run in the last six years. Saint Joseph's picked up the program's first NCAA tourney triumph with a 61-56 win over UMass.-Boston in the first round of the 2018 tournament before falling to eventual repeat national champion Amherst College, 53-47, the following day.
In the team's previous three trips, the Monks suffered first-round exits at the hands of Tufts University (2014 & 2017) and Christopher Newport (2016).
The Bombers are making their 14th appearance in the NCAA playoffs, the Bombers have reached the second round nine times – including each of the last three years - the "Sweet 16" three times (2003, 2013 and 2014) and the "Elite 8" in 2014.
