STANDISH, ME - The 2012-13 SJC women's basketball team entered its 20th season under the watch of head coach Mike McDevitt, looking to build upon a 20-8 season in which saw the Monks claim the #2 seed in the conference and finish 12-1 against GNAC teams.
Led by freshman center Morgan Cahill (Yarmouth, Maine) and captains Alyssa Grigware (Biddeford, Maine) and Danyelle Shufelt (Sutton, Vt.), the 2012-13 Monks began the schedule by winning five of their first six games—including statement wins over Husson University on November 29th and Thomas College on December 4th.
In the victory over Husson, Cahill made her presence known as a top offensive option for the Monks, scoring 21 points while hauling in six rebounds en route to a 74-35 Monks victory. Cahill would not slow down for the remainder of the campaign; ranking first on the team in points per game (13.3), rebounds per game (8), total rebounds (217), points (359) and blocks (60) at season's end. For her efforts, she claimed GNAC Rookie of the Year, Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association (MWBCA) Co-Rookie of the Year, Second Team All-GNAC, Second Team All-MWBCA and Maine All-Rookie Team accolades.
After the 5-1 start, the Monks slipped to conclude December, going 1-4 from December 8th through the 29th. However, the resilient Monks cruised through the competition for the majority of January, going 7-3 and scoring an average of exactly 70 points per game. Contributions in this stretch were made in large part by junior forward Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H.) and third-year point guard Mackenzie Dufour (Augusta, Maine). Moore consistently remained one of the Monks most useful offensive weapons, finishing third on the team in PPG (10.8), second in RPG (6.5) and second in field goals (130), and capped the year with a team-high 51.6 FG percentage. Dufour balanced out the offense by pacing the team in assists (89) with the second-highest steals tally (49) while playing over 600 minutes on the season, also putting her among the team leaders in that category.
At the cessation of the regular season, the Monks' record stood at 15-10 going into the GNAC Tournament Quarterfinal February 19th against Johnson & Wales University. In what would end up being a 59-45 victory for the #3 seeded Monks, Cahill, Shufelt and Moore netted 19, 12, and 10 points, respectively. Cahill also came up big on defense, shutting down JWU's offense by scattering ten rebounds, five blocks and converting a pair of steals in the game.
Two days later, the Monks played #2 Suffolk University Rams in the GNAC Tournament Semifinal. Saint Joseph's would struggle to find the basket, scoring 25 points under their season average and managing just a 28.6% shooting mark from the field. In what would result as a 53-45 loss to finish the season, the Monks fell short of what their potential would have them believe. The Monks finished 16-11 on the year while posting a 9-3 record against rival GNAC teams.
Dufour, Grigware, Shufelt, sophomore guard Sarah Assante (Standish, Maine), sophomore guard Hailey Frisbee (Kittery Point, Maine), junior Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine), Abby Young (North Yarmouth, Maine), and junior Skyler Makkinje (Hillsboro, N.H.) were named to the GNAC All-Academic Team.
WRITTEN BY JACK HOLLY '14
