STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (9-3, 2-0 GNAC) topped Anna Maria College (6-9, 1-1 GNAC), 53-39, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball contest at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon. Senior guard Sarah Assante (Standish, Maine) recorded 14 points, six rebounds, five assists and four steals in the victory.
Saint Joseph's opened the game on a 13-0 run, which was capped with a Morgan Cahill (Yarmouth, Maine) bucket at the 15-minute mark. Anna Maria finally got on the board when sophomore guard Deja Taitt (Cambia Heights, N.Y.) made a pair of free throws with 14:28 left in the opening half.
The AMCATS, who did not record their first field goal until senior guard Katie Pryor (Whitinsville, Mass.) drilled a three-pointer at the 13:46 mark, shook off the poor start with a 19-2 offensive surge, which was closed out with a Christina Gauvin (Dudley, Mass.) layup and provided the visitors with a 19-17 edge eight and a half minutes later. The Monks committed eight turnovers and went 0-4 from the field during the game-changing run.
St. Joe's proceeded to tie the game on a Norma Waggett (Saugus, Mass.) jumper at the 5:32 mark and freshman guard Hayley Quirion (Augusta, Maine) lifted the hosts to a 22-19 advantage when she drained a three off an Emily Quirion (Augusta, Maine) pass 28 seconds later. The AMCATS tied the tilt with a Trafficia Warburton (Worcester, Mass.) layup at the 3:24 mark, but Saint Joseph's outscored the visitors by an 8-4 margin for the remainder of the half en route to securing a 30-26 cushion heading into intermission.
Sophomore guard Emily Kehoe (Perkinsville, Vt.) paced the Monks with seven first-half points while Warburton led all scorers with 11 points at the break.
Saint Joseph's kicked off the second stanza with five straight points, as a Waggett bucket lifted the Royal Blue to a 35-26 lead with 14:40 to play. The AMCATS managed to make it a two-possession game on several occasions midway through the latter frame, but the Monks were able to collect the conference win with the help of a 12-15 free-throw shooting effort during the closing period.
For Saint Joseph's, Cahill totaled 10 points and seven rebounds, sophomore guard Abbie Eastman (Norway, Maine) tallied 10 points and four boards, and Kehoe scored eight in the triumph.
For Anna Maria, Warburton tallied 11 points, eight rebounds and five steals, Gauvin scored 11 points with three steals, and Pryor added seven points and four boards in a losing effort. The AMCATS shot 18.5% (5-27) from the floor in the second half and 25.5% (14-55) overall.
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 5-0 in the history of the series with Anna Maria College. The AMCATS' point total in today's contest counts as the fewest scored by either team during the five-game matchup.
Both teams face conference opponents on the road Monday, when Saint Joseph's plays at Mount Ida College in a 1:00 PM tip-off and Anna Maria travels to Providence for a 3:00 PM game versus Johnson & Wales University.
Post game interview with Kehoe & Assante:
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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.
