MILTON, Mass. – Saint Joseph's College (2-0) defeated Curry College (1-1), 57-42, on Sunday afternoon to claim the Curry College Tip-Off Tournament Championship for the second-consecutive season. ¬Freshman guard Emily Quirion (Augusta, Maine) netted a game-high 13 points in the victory.
The Monks shot just 24.2% (16-66) collectively but managed to win with the help of a 21-33 effort from the free throw line and 24 points off 34 Curry turnovers. For the second straight contest, the Saint Joseph's bench played a pivotal role as eight players left the pine to contribute 27 total points. The Colonels' reserves tallied just five points in the losing effort.
Curry opened the title bout with a pair of buckets in the opening 90 seconds to secure a 4-0 lead, but the advantage was short-lived as the Monks countered with a 7-1 run and would hold at least a share of the lead for the remainder of play. Emily Quirion capped the early surge with a three-pointer and netted eight straight points to lift the Royal Blue to a 12-5 cushion with 15:34 left in the first half.
Freshman Norma Waggett (Saugus, Mass.) extended the Monks' lead to 18-10 by hitting a pair of freebies just over six minutes later, but the Colonels rallied with a 9-1 run and tied the contest, 19-19, when sophomore Alyssa Keeney (Coventry, Conn.) knocked down a three with 5:21 to play before the break.
The Monks responded with six unanswered points to secure a 25-19 lead with 4:24 left in the half, but remainder of the opening frame was closely contested, as the Colonels maintained a two-possession deficit for the rest of the period. Senior Samantha Corcoran (Hampton, N.H.) and freshman Nicole Rice (Woburn, Mass.) converted layups for Curry in the closing minute, making it a 29-27 game with 21 seconds left, but freshman Hayley Quirion (Augusta, Maine) drained a three-pointer as time expired to lift Saint Joseph's to a five-point cushion heading into intermission.
The Monks proceeded to put the game out of reach by opening the second stanza with a 15-0 run. Junior Morgan Cahill (Yarmouth, Maine) scored six points and Emily Quirion added four to help extend the SJC lead to a game-high 20 points (47-27) with 10:30 left in the contest.
Saint Joseph's shot 24.2% (16-66) from the floor, 20% (4-20) from three-point range and 63.6% (21-33) from the FT line while Curry countered with averages of 26.9% (14-52), 7.7% (1-13) and 65% (13-20) from the field, beyond the arc and the charity stripe, respectively, in a losing bid.
For Saint Joseph's, Cahill posted the 21st double-double of her career with 12 points and 14 rebounds while making all seven of her free throw attempts, sophomore Emily Kehoe (Perkinsville, Vt.) tallied seven points, five rebounds and seven steals, and senior Sarah Assante (Standish, Maine) registered six points, six rebounds, five assists and three steals.
Kehoe and Assante collected All-Tournament honors for Saint Joseph's while Keeney represented the Colonels on tourney team.
For Curry, Rice also had a double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds, Keeney added 10 points and Corcoran pulled down nine rebounds and dished out a team-best five assists.
Saint Joseph's returns to the hardwood with a non-conference contest at Husson University at 5:30 PM on Thursday.
All-Tournament Team
Emily Kehoe (Saint Joseph's)
Sarah Assante (Saint Joseph's)
Alyssa Keeney (Curry)
Maya Ramachandran (MIT)
Amber Flagg (Southern Vermont)
GAME NOTES
For Saint Joseph's, today's field goal shooting effort is the lowest since the Monks shot 22.6% (12-53) in a loss to Suffolk University on January 15th, 2009…the 24.2% rate is the lowest recorded in an SJC victory over the last 15 seasons…Saint Joseph's is now 4-1 in the history of the series with Curry College and own a 93-26 (.782) all-time record versus Commonwealth Coast Conference opponents… Saint Joseph's is off to a 2-0 start for the fourth-consecutive season and the 16th time in program history overall…freshman Cassidy Grover (Gray, Maine/Cheverus) scored the first four points of her NCAA career in today's triumph.
#GOMONKS
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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.
