STANDISH, Maine – Top-seeded Saint Joseph's College (26-0) cruised past #8 Johnson & Wales University (6-20), 99-75, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinal at the Harold Alfond Center on Tuesday evening.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:
With the victory, Saint Joseph's – ranked eighth and 10th nationally in this week's D3Hoops.com and Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) polls, respectively - advances to the second round of the GNAC tourney for the fourth-consecutive season and will host #4 Suffolk University (19-7) in a semifinal matchup on Thursday at 5:00 PM. The Rams topped #5 Anna Maria College, 68-58, in other quarterfinal action tonight.
For Johnson & Wales, the loss signals the end of the 2018-19 campaign.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Monks held a 22-14 lead after the first quarter and effectively put the game out of reach with a dominant second stanza. St. Joe's shot 70.6% (12-17) from the field while outscoring Johnson & Wales by a 37-16 margin leading up to intermission and held a 59-30 advantage at the break.
Saint Joseph's proceeded to claim a game-high 34-point cushion when junior guard Julia Quinn (Fryeburg, Maine) drilled a three-pointer with 3:38 left in the third frame.
STATS OF THE GAME:
The Monks held sizeable leads in second-chance points (19-10), points in the paint (36-22), and bench points (20-10).
BEYOND THE BOX:
With the victory, the Monks extend their home winning streak to 50 games, a string that ties the longest home stretch in SJC Athletics history – the men's basketball program won 50 straight at home in the late 1990's…37 points is the most scored in a quarter by Saint Joseph's since the NCAA adopted a rule change moving from halves to quarters (114 games) prior to the start of the 2015-16 season…75 points is the most allowed by the Monks this season and highest scored by an SJC opponent since SJC defeated Suffolk, 82-79, on January 27th, 2018.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Senior guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) scored 29 points with seven assists and five rebounds and was 5-for-7 from three-point distance
- Senior guard Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) was 4-for-6 from downtown with 22 points
- Senior forward Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) added 14 points, six rebounds, and a pair of assists
- Senior guard Hannah Marks (Waldoboro, Maine) chipped in with 12 points, eight caroms, and two assists
- Freshman guard Alyson Fillion (Bedford, N.H.) came off the bench to s core eight points
LEADERS – JOHNSON & WALES:
- Senior forward Ally Mishol (Longmeadow, Mass.) scored 27 points with eight boards and three assists
- Freshman guard Dede Stevenson (Hartford, Conn.) added 15 points, three boards, and two assists
- Sophomore forward Marissa Cottrell (New Britain, Conn.) contributed 13 points and a pair of assists
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
Saint Joseph's is now 11-5 all-time versus Johnson & Wales University and has defeated the Wildcats in six-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2015-16 season.
