Monks Advance to GNAC Championship!!

Monks Advance to GNAC Championship!!

STANDISH, ME – Second-seeded Saint Joseph's (20-7, 12-1 GNAC) edged #3 Rivier College (18-9, 11-2 GNAC), 59-58, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament Semifinal at the Harold Alfond Center on Thursday night.

Trailing 58-57 with 12 seconds remaining, Monks sophomore forward Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H.) made a layup off an Abby Young '14 (North Yarmouth, Maine) feed to lift the hosts to a one-point lead. The Raiders had opportunities to change their fortune but missed a pair of layups in the closing seconds.

With the victory Saint Joseph's moves on to face top-seeded Emmanuel College (21-6, 13-0 GNAC) in the GNAC Championship game in Boston on Saturday at 2:00 PM. Emmanuel defeated #4 Suffolk University, 87-58, in the other conference semifinal tilt this evening and will be making an appearance in the GNAC Championship game for the 12th consecutive season. The trip to the title match will be the first for the Monks in five seasons as a GNAC member. For Rivier the 2011-12 campaign comes to a close with the loss.

The outlook was bleak in the early going for the Monks as the Raiders raced out to an 11-4 lead over the opening five minutes of play, but Saint Joseph's rattled off a 17-2 run and held a 21-13 cushion after senior guard Megan McDevitt (Cumberland, Maine) capped the outbreak with a bucket at the 7:58 mark.

Rivier cut the SJC lead down to four points (21-17) as freshman guard Deanna Purcell (Hudson, N.H.) netted two quick baskets in a matter of 40 seconds but the Monks proceeded to close out the first half with 16-3 outburst and led 37-20 going into the locker room.

Senior center Ashley Geel (St. George, Maine) led all players with 10 points and seven rebounds in the opening frame while Deanna Purcell and her sister, senior guard Amandra Purcell, put up six points apiece to pace the visitors' efforts.

The second stanza proved to be one of the most drama-filled periods of the Monks' season. The Raiders kicked off the half with a 13-1 run and trailed by just five points after sophomore forward Laura Yesu (Longmeadow, Mass.) scored a fast-break layup at the 14:05 mark.

St. Joe's led by 12 (54-42) just over six minutes later when McDevitt drained a three-pointer but Rivier, with the assistance of five SJC turnovers, methodically whittled away at the deficit with 10 unanswered points and trailed 54-52 with 3:14 remaining.

Geel upped the Monks' advantage to four points with a layup 37 seconds later. Unfazed, Amandra Purcell hit a three with 2:18 left and, after another SJC turnover, sophomore forward Jaclyn Penniman (Dudley, Mass.) made a three-pointer of her own with the shot clock winding down to lift the Raiders to their first lead, 58-56 with 1:28 to go, since the midpoint of the first half.

Geel made one of two freebies 24 seconds later and came up with a key block, her fourth of the night, on a shot attempt by sophomore guard Ryan Baker (Whitinsville, Mass.) on the ensuing Rivier possession.

A timeout allowed Monks Head Coach Mike McDevitt '83 to draw up a play that was perfectly executed by Young and Moore, who scored on a wide-open layup directly under the hoop for the eventual game-winning shot.

Geel notched her seventh double-double of the year, and 16th of her career, with game-highs of 20 points and 10 rebounds and added four blocks and three assists to her impressive stat line. Young registered seven points and four boards, freshman guard Sarah Assante (Standish, Maine) tallied seven points, three assists and three caroms, and Moore produced six points and eight rebounds on the night.

For the Raiders, Deanna Purcell netted 17 points and pulled down five boards, Amandra Purcell tallied 14 points, four assists and four steals, and Penniman added 11 points, five rebounds and a pair of steals in the losing effort.

Overall, Saint Joseph's shot 45.3% (24-53) from the field, 37.5% (6-16) from downtown, and 50% (5-10) from the free throw line and Rivier shot 37.5% (21-56) from the floor, 30% (6-20) from three-point range, and 71.4% (10-14) from the charity stripe.

The Monks lost the turnover battle, 24-12, but offset the lack of ball care with a 42-22 rebounding advantage. The work on the glass included 18 offensive caroms and led to 16 second-chance points. 

 

 

Saint Joseph's College, founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy, celebrates its Centennial year in 2012 with a theme of "Realize the Promise" – honoring our commitment to educating well-rounded graduates who combine career focus with classic liberal arts studies. A Private, Catholic, primarily residential, coeducational liberal arts institution, Saint Joseph's welcomes students of all ages and all faiths. The campus, located 18 miles northwest of Portland and just two hours from Boston, encompasses 350 acres along the shore of beautiful Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine. Enrollment ranges between 1,000 and 1,100 students annually. Saint Joseph's offers challenging academic programs in the liberal arts and sciences, education, nursing and business fields in a value-centered environment.