GORHAM, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (4-1) defeated University of Southern Maine (1-5), 62-52, in non-conference women's basketball action on Sunday evening.
COSTELLO CUP:
With the victory, Saint Joseph's retains possession of the Costello Cup for the sixth-consecutive season. The Costello Cup is presented annually to the winner of the contest between the rivals and honors the late Dr. Richard "Doc" Costello, former USM Athletic Director and long-time basketball coach.
St. Joe's is now 10-18 in the history of the Costello Cup series, which began in 1990. The six-game win streak versus the Huskies is the Monks' longest during the series.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The first quarter saw the rivals score just 16 points combined as the rivals were tied, 8-8, going into the second stanza. Southern Maine held a 17-13 lead after sophomore Amy Fleming (Berwick, Maine) made a layup off an Elizabeth Gonyea (Rindge, N.H.) steal and dish with 5:17 before the break, St. Joe's posted a 10-2 run spanning the remainder of the second period and carried a 23-19 lead into intermission.
The Huskies managed to reclaim the lead early in the third quarter as a traditional three-point play by junior Megan King (Derry, N.H.) capped a 7-2 burst and lifted the hosts to a 26-25 margin with nine minutes to play in the penultimate period. The Monks answered with a 19-5 run and held a game-high 13-point (44-31) advantage after senior Grace Philippon (Glenburn, Maine) capped the outbreak with a pair of free throws with 42 seconds left in the third.
Saint Joseph's maintained a double-digit cushion until Fleming made a pair of freebies for USM to make it a 48-40 game with 6:07 left to play. The Huskies continued to hit shots down the stretch, but the Monks held off the sustained offensive pressure by going 12-for-14 from the FT line in the closing minutes.
STATS OF THE GAME:
As a team, the Monks shot 71% (22-31) from the free throw line while the Huskies went 10-for-17 (58.8%) from the charity stripe…In tonight's win, Saint Joseph's committed 29 turnovers, the most by the Monks in a victory since St. Joe's coughed up the ball 29 times in a 65-52 win over Maine Maritime on December 9th, 2007.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Sophomore Angelica Hurley (Groverland, Mass.) put forth an impressive performance with 21 points, 15 rebounds, five assists, five steals, and two blocked shots
- Philippon added 15 points and four boards
- Junior Jayne Howe (Pembroke, Mass.) chipped in with 12 points, four caroms, and three assists and was 6-for-6 from the FT line
LEADERS – SOUTHERN MAINE:
- Senior Victoria Harris (Altus, Okla.) paced the Huskies with 17 points and six rebounds
- Graduate student Jackie Luckhardt (Londonderry, N.H.) netted 13 points with five rebounds, five assists, five steals, and two blocked shots
- Fleming added eight points, four assists, three rebounds, and three steals
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will host Thomas College in a non-conference contest on Wednesday at 5:30 PM.
