STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (21-4, 15-1 GNAC) toppled Simmons College (7-15, 5-10 GNAC), 80-48, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball action at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Simmons jumped out to a 5-0 lead in the opening minutes, but Saint Joseph's responded with 10 unanswered points to claim a lead that would not be relinquished for the remainder of the contest.
The Monks all but clinched the victory midway through the second quarter, when the hosts mounted a 24-4 run with the assistance of six three-point field goals during a six-minute span. Saint Joseph's carried a 43-23 cushion into intermission and went on to secure a game-high 36-point advantage (76-40) when junior forward Brianne Maloney (South Portland, Maine) converted a three-point play with 3:56 remaining in the fourth frame.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Regardless of today's outcome, Saint Joseph's possessed the top seed in the GNAC Tournament and will host Albertus Magnus College – the #4 seed in the South Division – in a conference quarterfinal Tuesday at 6:00 PM.
Simmons, the #4 seed in the North Division, will play at Emmanuel College, the top team in the South Division, Tuesday night at 7:00 PM.
SENIOR MOMENT
Prior to the start of today's contest, the SJC women's basketball program held a brief ceremony to honor the team's 2017 graduates: senior captains Abbie Eastman (Norway, Maine) and Emily Kehoe (Perkinsville, Vt.). With this duo on the court, the Monks have posted an 83-26 (.762) overall record, including a 41-8 (.837) mark in GNAC play, with a pair of conference championships.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Sophomore guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) paced four SJC players in double-digits with 15 points and added four rebounds, five assists, and two steals
- Sophomore guard Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) netted 14 points with six boards and a pair of assists
- Sophomore forward Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) tallied 13 points and four caroms
- Eastman contributed 10 points off a very efficient shooting line: 3-5 from the floor, 2-4 from beyond the arc, and 2-2 from the FT line
- Kehoe chipped in with seven points, seven rebounds – including four on the offensive glass – and three assists over 16 minutes
- Junior forward Regan McFerran (Albany, N.Y.) came off the bench to score seven points with four caroms, three assists, and a pair of steals
LEADERS – SIMMONS:
- Senior guard Jamie Zoldy (Watertown, Conn.) scored 14 points and was 4-5 from three-point distance
- Sophomore guard Francesca Corsinetti (Johnson, R.I.) came off the bench to net 12 points with five boards, two assists, and a pair of steals
- Senior forward Ashley McAdams (Freeport, N.Y.) tallied eight points and seven rebounds
- Senior forward Liz Brasa (East Hartford, Conn.) added eight points and six caroms
#GOMONKS
Follow Saint Joseph's Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram!
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.
