STANDISH, Maine – Maine Maritime Academy (6-3) battled past Saint Joseph's College (6-4), 73-64, in a hard-fought non-conference women's basketball contest on Mike McDevitt Court at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
After making only two shots on 14 first-quarter attempts, the Monks faced a 15-8 deficit going into the second stanza and trailed by a 27-16 margin after junior forward Sydney Briscoe (Englewood, N.J.) made two free throws with 4:30 before the break. Saint Joseph's closed out the second frame by making six consecutive shots during a 15-3 run that saw the hosts take a 31-30 edge into intermission after sophomore Grace Ramsdell (Wells, Maine) hit a layup as time expired.
The Mariners regained the lead with five quick points in the first 45 seconds of the third period and clung to a 42-40 edge after senior Nina Howe (York, Maine) made a layup with 6:42 left in the quarter. Maine Maritime then mounted a 14-2 scoring surge – including back-to-back-to-back three pointers from sophomore guard Evelyn Dagan (Castine, Maine) in a matter of 42 seconds – to secure a game-high 14-point (56-42) lead with 3:58 on the third quarter clock.
St. Joe's chipped away at the MMA lead with a 15-2 run, which was capped by an Angelica Hurley (Groveland, Mass.) jumper, to make it a one-point (58-57) with 7:13 left in the fourth frame. The hosts kept pace and trailed 66-63 after Elisabeth Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) converted a layup with 1:43 to play, but the visitors secured the road victory by going 5-for-8 from the free throw line during the final minute.
STATS OF THE GAME:
Maine Maritime shot 39.3% (11-28) from three-point distance while Saint Joseph's connected on just 16.7% (3-18) of their attempts from beyond the arc…The Mariners also netted 16 points off 19 SJC turnovers and held a 15-7 lead in bench points on the afternoon.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Stapelfeld was 7-for-10 from the floor with 20 points and six rebounds
- Hurley added 14 points, six rebounds, eight assists, and three steals
- Ramsdell notched a double-double with 10 points and 11 boards and also picked up a pair of steals
- Howe contributed 11 points, four assists, and three caroms
LEADERS – MAINE MARITIME:
- Junior guard Maria Barela (Albuquerque, N.M.) scored 20 points with five rebounds, two assists, and a pair of steals
- Dagan was 6-for-10 from three-point distance with 18 points and three rebounds
- Junior guard Erianna Moore (Fitchburg, Mass.) tallied nine points, five rebounds, six assists, and three steals
- Junior guard Makenzie Monzon (Orlando, Fla.) dealt nine assists with five points and five rebounds
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the setback, Saint Joseph's falls to 10-6 in the history of the series with Maine Maritime Academy.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's is off until the end of the month when the Monks play the first of two games in California. The team's first game during the trip will take place Friday, December 29th at Whittier College at 3:00 PM. The second contest will be played the following day at Cal-Lutheran in another 3:00 PM tip-off.
