STANDISH, ME – Bates College (13-4, 1-1 NESCAC) defeated Saint Joseph's (10-6, 2-1 GNAC), 65-52, in non-conference women's basketball action at the Harold Alfond Center on Wednesday evening. Ashley Geel '12 (St. George, ME) led the Royal Blue with 15 points and shot 7-9 from the field in the losing effort.
The Monks came out of the gates quickly and held a 12-6 lead after Abby Young '14 (North Yarmouth, ME), who tallied 14 points in the contest, hit a jumpshot at the 11:54 mark. The complexion of the game changed completely, however, as the Bobcats proceeded to outscore the Monks by a 20-1 margin for the remainder of the first half and carried a 26-13 advantage into the intermission.
Saint Joseph's committed 11 turnovers and went 0-12 from the floor during the Bates run.
Bates sophomore Allie Beaulieu (Swampscott, MA) led all scorers with 20 points and went 4-6 from downtown in the Bobcats' triumph. Jessie Igoe '11 (Lexington, MA) added 12 points and grabbed a game-high seven rebounds and Meredith Kelly '14 (Cohasset, MA) chipped in with nine points for the visitors.
For St. Joe's, Casey Drake '11 (Lebanon, NH) tallied six points and four assists and Mackenzie Dufour '14 (Augusta, ME) dealt five dimes.
The Monks fared better in the second stanza, but it wasn't enough to overcome the deficit created by an uneven first half. St. Joe's and Bates dueled to a 39-39 score in the final 20 minutes of play.
Saint Joseph's shot 46.7% (21-45) from the floor, 25% (2-8) from three-point range and 72.7% (8-11) from the FT line, while Bates shot 49% (24-49) from the field, 50% (4-8) from beyond the arc and 81.3% (13-16) from the charity stripe.
The Bobcats forced 29 SJC turnovers and grabbed 17 steals en route to the 13-point win. The Monks out-rebounded the visitors by a slim 26-25 margin and outscored the Bobcats, 26-24, in the paint. St. Joe's also carried a 26-23 advantage in bench points in a losing effort.
With the loss, St. Joe's falls to 12-12 in the history of the series with Bates College. The Bobcats have now defeated the Monks in six consecutive meetings dating back to 2003.
Saint Joseph's will host conference-rival Simmons College on Saturday at 1:00 PM, while Bates is set to play at Colby College on Friday at 8:00 PM.
Postgame interview with Coach McDevitt:
