STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (4-2) topped University of Southern Maine (1-3), 58-42, in a non-conference women's basketball contest at Mike McDevitt Court on Sunday evening.
COSTELLO CUP:
With the victory, Saint Joseph's retains possession of the Costello Cup for the seventh-consecutive season. The Costello Cup is presented annually to the winner of the contest between the rivals and honors the late Dr. Richard "Doc" Costello, former USM Athletic Director and long-time basketball coach.
St. Joe's is now 11-18 in the history of the Costello Cup series, which began in 1990. The seven-game win streak versus the Huskies is the Monks' longest during the series.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Both teams experienced sluggish starts as the game stood at a 4-4 stalemate after junior guard Hannah Talon (Windham, Maine) made a layup with 2:52 left in the first quarter. Southern Maine capped the opening frame with a 10-8 edge after the in-state rivals combined to shoot just 27.3% (9-33) from the field in the opening 10 minutes.
Trailing 14-11 early in the second stanza, Saint Joseph's mounted a 16-2 run to stake a 27-16 lead going into intermission. The Monks held on to a double-digit advantage for the better part of play and attained a game-high 22-point cushion (47-25) after junior guard Angelica Hurley (Groveland, Mass.) made a pair of freebies with 1:08 left in the third period.
The Huskies managed to cut their deficit down to nine points (51-42) after Amy Fleming (Berwick, Maine) recorded a traditional three-point play with 2:33 left in the game, but the Monks closed out the victory with seven unanswered points to account for the 58-42 final.
STATS OF THE GAME:
SJC scored 24 points off 21 USM turnovers and shot 81.3% (13-16) from the FT line in the victory…Southern Maine countered by netting 11 points off 14 St. Joe's turnovers with a 50.0% (8-16) mark from the charity stripe…the two teams combined to make just 10.0% (3-30) of their three-point attempts on the evening.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Hurley tallied 16 points, six rebounds, and two steals
- Talon added 12 points, six boards, and four assists
- Senior forward Jayne Howe (Pembroke, Mass.) pulled down 12 rebounds and scored five points
- Junior guard Nina Howe (York, Maine) chipped in with eight points, four steals, and a pair of rebounds
- Freshman guard Elisabeth Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) came off the bench to net seven points and dish out a pair of assists
LEADERS – SOUTHERN MAINE:
- Fleming paced the Huskies with 13 points
- Freshman Vanessa Vaughn (Hantsport, Nova Scotia) came off the bench to score eight points with five rebounds and a pair of assists
- Franny Ramsdell added seven points and two rebounds
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will play at Bates College on Thursday at 7:00 PM.
