PROVIDENCE, RI – Saint Joseph's College (11-3, 3-0 GNAC) defeated Johnson & Wales University (4-11, 2-1 GNAC), 61-52, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball action on Monday afternoon. Sophomore center Morgan Cahill (Yarmouth, Maine) tallied a double-double with 21 points and 12 rebounds in the victory.

Save for a short spell in the opening minutes, Saint Joseph's held the lead for the entire contest and owned a 17-point (38-21) cushion heading into intermission. The Monks went on to secure a game-high 24-point lead (48-24) early in the second stanza and weathered a late run by the Wildcats to remain undefeated in conference play.

For the Monks, senior Abby Young (North Yarmouth, Maine) recorded 12 points, eight rebounds, two assists and a pair of blocked shots, senior forward Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H.) produced 10 points, five boards and two steals and junior guard Sarah Assante (Standish, Maine) contributed eight points, five caroms and three assists in the triumph.

Junior Natalie DiCocco (Media, Pa.) led the way for Johnson & Wales with 14 points and four rebounds while junior D'Ana Rolle (Gardner, Mass.) added 14 points and four assists in the setback for the Wildcats.

The two teams traded baskets early with Saint Joseph's holding the 9-7 lead five minutes into the contest. The visiting Monks then used a 10-2 run, capped by a free throw by senior Theresa Hendrix (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus) to make the score 19-9 with 10:15 left in the first half.  Saint Joseph's built on their lead throughout the half and carried a 38-21 advantage heading into the locker room at halftime.  JWU shot just 20.6 % (7-for-34) and was outrebounded by a 31-20 margin in the stanza.

Saint Joseph's opened the second half on a 10-3 run to take their largest lead of the game, 48-24, on a layup by Young with 14:23 left in the contest.  Johnson & Wales chipped away at the lead and made the score 55-47 on layup by DiCocco with 1:30 remaining.  It wouldn't be enough, however as Saint Joseph's hit six free throws in the final ninety seconds to hold on for the 61-52 victory.

St. Joe's held a commanding 56-31 rebounding advantage and converted 18 offensive boards into 20 second-chance points on the afternoon. The Monks posted a solid 40.7% (22-54) shooting effort from the floor, while the Wildcats made just 25.4% (16-63) of their attempts and failed to make a single three-pointer in 17 attempts from downtown.

Saint Joseph's will host Thomas College in a non-conference matchup starting at 5:30 PM on Wednesday. Johnson & Wales faces off against Nichols College at home in a 7:00 PM tip-off on Thursday.

THANKS IN LARGE PART TO JOHNSON & WALES UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION

GAME NOTES:

With the win, Saint Joseph's is now 5-3 all-time versus Johnson & Wales University…the Monks have defeated the Wildcats in five-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2010-11 campaign…the Monks' rebounds tally (56) is the most this season and the highest total by an SJC team since the Royal Blue pulled down 57 caroms in a 59-43 win over University of Saint Joseph (CT) on February 7th, 2009…the team's single-game rebounds record, 64, was achieved in 98-75 win over University of New England on January 17th, 1990…Cahill's double-double effort counts as her fifth this season and 16th of her young career…Hendrix pulled down the 200th rebound of her career in the win and now has 201 boards over 60 career contests.

UP NEXT:

Saint Joseph's is 55-5 in the history of the series with Thomas College and has defeated the Terriers in six-consecutive meetings. Thomas is 2-11 overall and has lost five-straight, including a 61-28 setback at Maine-Farmington on Saturday.

Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.