STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's College (15-4, 5-0 GNAC) defeated Albertus Magnus College (3-17, 0-6 GNAC), 61-38, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball action at the Harold AlfondHarold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon. Senior forward Abby Young (North Yarmouth, Maine) led all scorers with 19 points and added nine rebounds in the victory.

The Monks held the lead for all but a pair of Albertus possession early in the first half, but the Falcons threatened and trailed by one (19-18) after senior guard Lianna Carrero (Hamden, Conn.) made a layup with 9:06 before the break. Saint Joseph's answered with an 11-3 run to close out the opening frame and carried a 30-21 cushion into the locker room.

Neither team shot well in the first half, as the Monks posted a 28.6% (10-35) mark and the Falcons were marginally better with a 31% (9-29) rate over the first 20 minutes of play. The second stanza featured polar-opposite shooting performances, as St. Joe's notched a solid 47.6% (10-21) effort from the field while Albertus Magnus was ice cold, as the visitors made only six field goals with a 17.6% performance from the floor.

The shooting discrepancy led to a convincing win for the Monks, who opened the second half on a 21-6 run, an offensive surge that was capped by a Young layup to make it a 51-27 game with 9:41 left. St. Joe's led by at least 20 for the remainder of the contest and rolled to the 23-point conference win.

For the Monks, sophomore center Morgan Cahill (Yarmouth, Maine) posted a double-double with 11 points and 12 boards with three blocked shots, senior guard Skyler Makkinje (Hillsboro, N.H.) added eight points and five rebounds, and freshman guard Abbie Eastman (Norway, Maine) contributed seven points off the bench.

Carrero, who entered the game ranked as the top scorer in NCAA DIII with 25.9 PPG, netted 14 in the loss and was the lone Albertus player in double digits. Senior forward Annie Raucci (Milford, Conn.) added six points and sophomore forward Kelsey Pendeagast (Shelton, Conn.) pulled down a team-high six rebounds on the afternoon. The Falcons have now lost 11-consecutive games.

Both teams resume play against GNAC opponents in Boston on Thursday night, when Saint Joseph's takes on Emmanuel College at 7:00 PM and Albertus plays at Simmons College at 7:00 PM.

GAME NOTES:

Saint Joseph's is now 9-0 in the history of the series with Albertus Magnus College...38 points is the fewest scored by the Falcons during the nine-game matchup.

UP NEXT: 

The Monks are 2-14 all-time versus Emmanuel College and have defeated the Saints once (1/7/10, 60-47) since joining the GNAC prior to the 2007-08 campaign...Emmanuel, the 15-time GNAC Champion and winner of the last seven conference crowns, is currently 12-6 overall and 4-0 in conference play...the Saints remained undefeated in GNAC play with a 76-63 win over Suffolk University this afternoon.

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.