NEWTON, Mass. – Saint Joseph's College (7-3, 2-0 GNAC) dominated the fourth quarter to pull away and defeat Lasell University (2-7, 1-1 GNAC), 75-58, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball contest on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Monks held a comfortable 38-26 lead at intermission, but the Lasers turned the tide with a 20-8 run that cut the SJC advantage down to just two points (50-48) after Angela Dinunzio hit a jump shot nine seconds into the fourth frame.
Saint Joseph's countered with 13 unanswered points as part of an impressive fourth quarter which saw the visitors outscore the hosts by a 25-12 margin. The Monks shot 61.5% (8-13) from the floor with a 3-for-4 effort from three-point distance during the final period and held a game-high 22-point (75-53) cushion after freshman Maddie Lebel (Hermon, Maine) made a free throw with 1:12 remaining.
STATS OF THE GAME:
The Monks scored 29 points off 21 Laser turnovers and shot 40% (10-25) from beyond the arc on the afternoon…Lasell was 5-for-17 (29.4%) from downtown in a losing effort.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Junior guard Angelica Hurley (Groveland, Mass.) notched a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds and added five steals and four assists while making 3-of-5 three-point attempts
- Junior guard Hannah Talon (Windham, Maine) also posted a fine performance with 19 points, eight boards, six assists, and three steals
- Junior guard Nina Howe (York, Maine) contributed nine points, four assists, and a pair of caroms
- Senior forward Jayne Howe (Pembroke, Mass.) added seven points and 11 rebounds
- Freshman guard Logan Brown (Brunswick, Maine) came off the bench to score nine points and pull down three rebounds
LEADERS – LASELL:
- Juju Nealy paced the Lasers with 20 points and added three steals
- Shirle Major tallied 15 points, three rebounds, and a pair of steals off the bench
- Jasmine DePina netted seven points with five boards
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the win Saint Joseph's improves to 20-1 in the history of the series with Lasell University and has now defeated the Lasers in 19-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2005-06 season.
NEXT!
The Monks are off until Tuesday, January 3rd when they host Anna Maria College in a GNAC contest slated to start at 5:30 PM.
