STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (20-5, 15-2 GNAC) sailed past Elms College (9-16, 4-14 GNAC), 78-51, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball contest on Saturday afternoon.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:
With the win Saint Joseph's finished the regular season tied with Emmanuel College atop the GNAC North Division standings with both teams posting identical 20-5 overall and 15-2 GNAC records. The Monks and Saints split their two-game set this winter and both teams fell to Albertus Magnus College, the top seed in the South Division.
With no common non-conference foes, the last tiebreaker outlined in the GNAC manual – a coin toss – was administered by Commissioner Joe Walsh to determine the top seed in the North. The Monks won the toss to claim the #1 seed and will host the #4 seed from the South, Johnson & Wales University, in a GNAC Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday at 5:30 PM.
With the loss, the 2022-23 season comes to a close for Elms College.
SENIOR MOMENT:
Prior to the start of the contest Saint Joseph's held a brief ceremony to honor the Monks' three seniors: Jayne Howe (Pembroke, Mass.), Mikayla Van Zandt (Westbrook, Maine), and Katie Whitmore (South Portland, Maine). The 2023 graduating class has helped St. Joe's post a 66-20 (.767) overall record, including a 38-6 (.864) mark in conference play, with a pair of GNAC Championship game appearances during their time on the hardwood.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Blazers opened the game with five unanswered points in the opening minute, but the Monks responded with a 15-0 run and held a 21-8 advantage at the end of the first frame.
Saint Joseph's proceeded to lead by at least 13 points for the remainder of the contest and achieved a game-high 35-point (66-31) cushion when freshman guard Lindsay Fiorillo (Scarborough, Maine) drilled a three-pointer with 9:17 left in the fourth quarter.
STATS OF THE GAME:
Saint Joseph's committed only six turnovers in the victory and netted 34 points off 30 Elms miscues on the afternoon.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Freshman guard Elisabeth Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) led five SJC players in double-digits with 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor
- Junior guard Hannah Talon (Windham, Maine) scored 11 points with six rebounds and a pair of assists
- Junior guard Hailey Anderson (Beverly, Mass.) added 11 points in 16 minutes
- Van Zandt tallied 10 points, five boards, three steals, and two assists
- Junior guard Angelica Hurley (Groveland, Mass.) contributed 10 points with two caroms and a pair of assists
LEADERS – ELMS:
- Junior guard Rahmia Johnston (Trumbull, Conn.) led all scorers with 15 points and added four rebounds and a pair of assists
- Freshman forward Mikayler Patch (North Attleboro, Mass.) added 13 points and five boards
- Graduate guard Brianna Metellus (Springfield, Mass.) chipped in with 11 points and six caroms
- Freshman guard Kayla Jackson (Saugus, Mass.) nearly posted a double-double with eight points and 10 rebounds
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
Saint Joseph's is now 4-0 in the history of the series with Elms College.
