MILTON, Mass. – #17/22 Saint Joseph's College (1-0) started the 2018-19 season with a 72-47 victory over Eastern Nazarene University (0-1) in the Curry College Tip-Off Tournament on Friday evening.
With the win, Saint Joseph's have advanced to the invitational championship and will play Framingham State University, which defeated Curry by a 71-63 margin in the tourney opener earlier tonight, in the title game tomorrow at 3:00 PM.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Leading 10-9 midway through the first quarter, the Monks rattled off a 12-1 run and maintained a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest.
STATS OF THE GAME:
St. Joe's, ranked 17th and 22nd in the most recent D3hoops.com and Women's Basketball Coaches Association national polls, respectively, netted 23 points off 22 Eastern Nazarene turnovers on the evening.
LEADERS - SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- McNamara scored 25 points with four rebounds, two assists, and a pair of steals
- Senior forward Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) nearly notched a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds while making six of seven shots from the field
- Senior guard Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) added seven points and five rebounds
- Freshman Sophie Giardina (Bradenton, Fla.) scored five points in five minutes in her collegiate debut
LEADERS – EASTERN NAZARENE:
- Tia Torio scored 15 points with six rebounds
- Shante Slender added six points and four rebounds
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the victory, Saint Joseph's is now 7-1 in the history of the series with Eastern Nazarene University. The last meeting between these two teams took place on February 1st, 1992.
NEXT!
The Monks will face Framingham State in the Curry College Tip-Off Tournament Championship tomorrow at 3:00 PM.