STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's (12-7, 4-2 GNAC) lost to Emmanuel College (10-7, 6-0 GNAC), 83-76, in a conference women's basketball contest at the Harold Alfond Center on Monday evening. Abby Young '14 (North Yarmouth, ME) recorded the first double-double of her NCAA career with 14 points and 10 rebounds and had five blocks in the loss.
The Monks trailed by double digits for the better part of the game but rallied to within three points of the 14-time GNAC Champions in the closing minutes. Unfortunately for the Royal Blue, the Saints made all four of their freebie attempts in the final minute of play to squelch the Monks' chances at a comeback victory.
For the second consecutive game, five SJC players notched double-digit point totals. Ashley Geel '12 (St. George, ME) tallied 15 points, five rebounds and two blocked shots, Allie Parent '12 (Camden, ME) registered 13 points and four assists, Lindsay Moore '14 (Somersworth, NH) added 10 points and eight caroms, and Megan McDevitt '12 (Cumberland, ME) chipped in with 10 points, five boards and five assists.
First-year point guard Mackenzie Dufour (Augusta, ME) posted a solid performance with nine assists and five points in the losing effort. Dufour did not commit a turnover and logged a game-high 37 minutes of playing time for the Monks.
Meghan Kirwan '12 (Melrose, MA) netted game-highs of 25 points, 11 rebounds and four steals and Fiona O'Dwyer '13 (Stamford, CT) contributed 15 points and five caroms for the Saints. Victoria Johnson '14 (Syracuse, NY) scored 11 with five boards and Kristen LeBel '11 (Tolland, CT) added 10 points, nine assists and three steals.
St. Joe's trailed 13-11 when Danyelle Shufelt '13 (Sutton, VT) netted a trifecta at the 13:22 mark, but the Saints rattled off a 12-2 run and led 25-13 after Kirwan scored a layup four minutes later.
Emmanuel held a 14-point lead – 32-18 – with 6:03 left in the first half before Saint Joseph's tallied eight straight points to make it a 32-26 game 2:15 later. Parent scored six of the SJC points during the surge.
The Saints pushed their lead back up to 11 in the following minutes before Parent tapped in a layup with 41 seconds left to make it a 39-30 game heading into the break.
Saint Joseph's shot 34.5% from the floor, 33.3% from three-point range, and 61.5% from the FT line in the first half. Emmanuel shot 38.5% overall, 37.5% from beyond the arc, and 75% from the charity stripe in the opening 20 minutes.
Kirwan led all first-half scorers with 10 points, while Parent and Geel both scored eight for the hosts in the opening frame.
In the second stanza, Emmanuel led by double-digits until the Royal Blue registered a scoring surge part-way through the half. Trailing 66-53 with 8:14 left, Shufelt and Moore netted four points apiece to account for an 8-0 outburst that cut the visitor's advantage to just five points – 66-61 – two minutes later.
The Saints held off the Monks and led by 10 points after Casey Shelvin '11 (Medford, NY) drained a three at the 3:57 mark, but St. Joe's battled back yet again with an 11-4 run that cut the hosts' deficit to three points – 79-76 – with 1:25 on the game clock.
Forced to foul with the Saints stalling, the Monks tagged Kirwan twice in the final minute of play and the junior guard made all four free throws to secure the win.
Saint Joseph's shot 40.9% (27-66) from the field, 31.3% (5-16) from three-point range, and 77.3% (17-22) from the FT line. Emmanuel shot 42.9% (30-70) overall, 30.8% (4-13) from downtown, and 73.1% (19-26) from the stripe.
St. Joe's held a slim 42-41 advantage on the glass, but Emmanuel forced 18 SJC turnovers with 13 steals and 18 points off the Monks' miscues. Both teams notched 21 assists on the night.
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 2-11 in the history of the series with the Saints.
Saint Joseph's will hit the road for three straight conference contests beginning with a 7:00 PM game at Pine Manor College on Wednesday. Emmanuel will play at Wesleyan in a non-league tilt on Wednesday at 7:30 PM.
Postgame interview with freshman point guard Mackenzie Dufour:
