PAXTON, Mass. – Saint Joseph's College (20-5, 10-1 GNAC) defeated Anna Maria College (8-17, 2-9 GNAC), 81-58, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball action on Saturday afternoon.

With the victory, Saint Joseph's claims the #1 seed in the GNAC Tournament, which begins with a quarterfinal round on Tuesday evening, when the Monks host eighth-seeded Rivier University in a 7:00 PM start.

THE LEAD

Saint Joseph's held an 18-17 edge after the first quarter but assumed control of play with a stellar second frame, as the Monks utilized an 11-0 run that was capped by a Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) layup and the visitors ahead 40-24 with 2:27 before the break.

Leading 40-28 at intermission, St. Joe's held a double-digit lead for the remainder of play and a 16-4 outburst midway through the fourth quarter lifted the Monks to a game-high 24-point (76-52) advantage.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S

• Freshman guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) produced one of her finest outings of the season with 27 points, five rebounds, and four assists while making 9 of 12 shots from the field – 4-7 from three-point distance – and going 5-5 from the free throw line
• Freshman forward Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) tallied 17 points and eight rebounds
• Champagne came off the bench to score nine points with six boards and a pair of steals
• Senior center Morgan Cahill (Yarmouth, Maine) tallied eight points, six caroms, and two steals
• Sophomores Emily and Hayley Quirion (Augusta, Maine) netted five points apiece off the bench

LEADERS – ANNA MARIA

• Junior Deja Taitt (Cambia Heights, N.Y.) netted 22 points with three boards and five assists
• Juniors Christina Gauvin (Dudley, Mass.) and Nicole Mareiro (Acushnet, Mass.) scored 12 points apiece
• Senior Samantha Parker (Athol, Mass.) led the AMCATS with eight rebounds

TEAM STATS

Saint Joseph's shot 39.7% (25-63) from the floor, 40% (6-15) from three-point distance, and 86.2% (25-29) from the charity stripe while Anna Maria answered with averages of 38.6% (22-57), 19% (4-21), and 66.7% (10-15) from the field, beyond the arc, and at the line, respectively, on the afternoon.

NOTEWORTHY

With the regular-season finale triumph, the SJC women's basketball team reaches the 20-win plateau for the 17th time in program history…all but two of the 20-victory campaigns have come under the watch of 23rd-year Head Coach Mike McDevitt '83…today's free-throw tally (25) is the second-most converted in a game by the Monks this winter – St. Joe's netted 28 freebies versus Regis College on January 2nd.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 6-0 in the history of the series with Anna Maria College. For the Monks, today's point tally is the most scored versus the AMCATS since the Royal Blue toppled Anna Maria by a 90-58 score on December 13th, 1982.

#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 474-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.