STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (23-5) faces off against #23 Christopher Newport University (22-4) in the opening round of the 2016 NCAA DIII Women's Basketball Tournament at Muhlenberg College tonight at 5:00 PM. Tonight's meeting will be the first ever on the hardwood between the Monks and the Captains.

Coverage

Live video: http://portal.stretchinternet.com/muhlenberg/

Live stats: http://www.sidearmstats.com/muhlenberg/wbball/

How they got here

Saint Joseph's, the top seed in the conference tournament, defeated perennial powerhouse Emmanuel College, 66-62, in the GNAC Championship on Saturday, February 27th in Standish to claim an automatic qualifier into the NCAA Tournament.

As the top seed, Saint Joseph's topped #8 Rivier University, 72-62, in a GNAC quarterfinal on Tuesday and defeated #4 Suffolk University, 74-58, in semifinal action on Thursday to advance to the GNAC championship tilt.

Christopher Newport, the #2 seed in the Capital Athletic Conference (CAC) tourney, earned a first-round bye in the 2016 playoffs but was bounced in the semifinals by third-seeded Mary Washington on Thursday, February 25th. With the loss, the Capitals' NCAA Tournament hopes rested on the decisions of the national championship committee, which ultimately decided Christopher Newport was worthy of an at-large berth.

The Capitals are one of three CAC teams to earn a spot in the 2016 NCAA DIII Women's Basketball Tournament. Mary Washington, the 2016 CAC Champions, and Marymount face Maryville and Cabrini, respectively, in opening-round games this evening.

NCAA Tournament History

For Saint Joseph's, tonight's NCAA Tournament appearance will be the team's second in program history, with both berths occurring in the last three seasons. The Monks made their first NCAA tourney appearance on March 7th, 2014 versus Tufts University, ranked fourth nationally at the time, and suffered a 66-43 setback at the hands of the Jumbos – a team that advanced all the way to the Final Four that season.

Saint Joseph's, which joined the GNAC prior to the start of the 2007-08 academic year and played as an NCAA DIII Independent program for three years prior, won 12 conference championships as an NAIA member with eight appearances in the NAIA National Tournament between the years of 1979 and 2001.

For Christopher Newport, the national tournament appearance is the 17th in program history and third in the last four years under Head Coach Bill Broderick. The Capitals have advanced past the first round on nine occasions, including trips to the 2011 NCAA Final Four, 2013 NCAA Elite Eight, and 2014 NCAA Sweet 16.

Christopher Newport's last NCAA Tournament appearance ended in the Sweet 16, as in 2014 the Capitals defeated Eastern Mennonite, 78-63, and Ferrum College, 75-66, before falling to Whitman College – the eventual national runner-up – by an 87-70 score.

What happens next?

The Christopher Newport / Saint Joseph's winner plays the victory of tonight's 7:00 PM contest – featuring St. John Fisher and pod-host Muhlenberg – tomorrow in a second round game starting at 7:00 PM.

What have you done lately?

Including Saturday's GNAC Championship victory over Emmanuel, the Monks have won six consecutive games and nine of their last 10 overall. Saint Joseph's is averaging 75.1 points while allowing 59.9 PPG and shooting 42.9% from the field, 34.8% from downtown, and 68.5% from the free throw line over the last nine contests.

Christopher Newport enters the NCAA Tournament having lost consecutive games for the second time all season, as the Captains suffered a 52-46 setback at the hands of Marymount on February 20th before falling to Mary Washington in the CAC semis five days later. Prior to the late-season losses, Christopher Newport rattled off 17 consecutive victories – the second-longest winning streak in program history.

Who to watch – Saint Joseph's:

Senior center Morgan Cahill (Yarmouth, Maine)

The 2016 First Team All-GNAC center leads the Monks in scoring, rebounding, field goals made, and free throws made and, with 63 blocked shots, set the program's single-season rejections record this winter. Cahill also ranks 35th in NCAA DIII Women's Basketball in total blocked shots this season.

The two-year team captain has earned 61 accolades during her career - including four All-GNAC honors and three All-State awards as well as the GNAC and Maine Rookie of the Year honors following her freshman season (2013).

Cahill ranks among the Monks' all-time leaders in a number of statistical categories, including blocked shots (221, 1st), points (1,636, 2nd), field goals made (655, 3rd), free throws made (4th), rebounds (872, 5th), scoring average (15.0, 7th), and rebounds average (8.0, 7th).

Freshman guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.)

McNamara, the 2016 GNAC Rookie of the Year and a Second Team All-Conference honoree, ranks second on the team in scoring and paces the Royal Blue in three-pointers made, three-point success, free throw percentage, assists, and steals.

The first-year starter has garnered 21 individual honors this season, including the 2016 GNAC Tournament MVP award and seven GNAC Rookie of the Week nods, and currently leads the conference in three-point percentage and assists.

McNamara currently ranks 30th in NCAA DIII Women's Basketball in three-point percentage.

Freshman forward Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.)

Benway, a polished post player, has emerged as a consistent player at both ends of the court for the Monks this winter. She currently leads the team in FG% and ranks s second in rebounding and third in field goals made.

The freshman forward was crowned as the ECAC, GNAC and Maine Women's Basketball Coaches Association (MWBCA) Rookie of the Week for the reporting period ending February 21st.  

Who to watch – Christopher Newport:

Sophomore forward Sam Porter (Alexandria, Va.)

Porter, the fourth player to earn CAC first team honors since the Captains joined the league three years ago, ranks as the team's leading scorer and rebounder this season. She ranks second in the conference and 38th in the nation in steals and finished the regular season with five double-doubles, including three straight in early February to earn CAC Player of the Week honors.

Sophomore forward Devon Byrd (Grottoes, Va.)

Byrd ranks second on the Captains in scoring and rebounding and is second on the squad in steals. She netted 10 or more points in 11 different games this season.

Sophomore guard Makenzie Fancher (New Freedom, Pa.)

Fancher earned Second Team All-CAC honors after ranking third in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (1.64) while netting 7.5 PPG and dealing 82 assists this season. She knocked down 36 three-pointers, the second-highest total on the team, this season while playing a team-high 27.8 minutes per contest.

Attitude reflects leadership:

Saint Joseph's – Head Coach Mike McDevitt '83 (456-180, .717) – 24th collegiate season

Among the most successful coaches in all of NCAA DIII Women's Basketball, McDevitt ranks 21st among active coaches in winning percentage and 22nd in victories. Only four coaches in New England have a higher win rate and just three in the region have more wins.

During his tenure at Saint Joseph's, Coach McDevitt has guided the Monks to at least 20 wins in 15 different seasons, the 10th-highest total in the history of NCAA DIII Women's Basketball. During his career, McDevitt has garnered eight Coach of the Year honors, including the GNAC honor in 2014.

Christopher Newport – Head Coach Bill Broderick (101-33, .754) – sixth collegiate season (four with CNU)

The eighth women's basketball coach in the 43-year history of the CNU women's basketball program, Coach Broderick has led the Captains to three NCAA Tournaments in four seasons at the helm. In his first season, he guided his team to a 29-3 record with a trip to the 2013 NCAA Elite Eight and a season-ending #6 national ranking in the D3Hoops.com poll.

In his second year Broderick, the 2012-13 VaSID State Coach of the Year, led the Captains to a 24-6 overall record and a trip to the NCAA Sweet 16, becoming just the seventh coach in NCAA history to guide a program to the Sweet 16 in each of their first two seasons.

Other

The Monks feature three players – Cahill, Emily Kehoe (Perkinsville, Vt.), and Abbie Eastman (Norway, Maine) – who played significant minutes in the team's last NCAA Tournament berth; the Captains do not have an active player on this year's roster who was on the 2013-14 squad that advanced to the NCAA Sweet 16.

#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.