STANDISH, Maine – Bates College (9-3, 1-0 NESCAC) edged Saint Joseph's College (11-3, 5-1 GNAC), 73-72, in a hard-fought non-conference contest on Mike McDevitt Court at the Harold Alfond Center on Tuesday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The game was highly competitive throughout as neither team held a lead greater than three points until sophomore guard Morgan Kennedy (Oklahoma City, Okla.) hit a jump shot to lift the Bobcats to a 24-19 advantage with 5:38 left in the second quarter. As it played out, Kennedy's jumper was part of an 11-2 run that saw the visitors claim a game-high nine-point (30-21) cushion less than two minutes later.
Trailing by eight (38-30) with 8:43 remaining in the third period, the Monks jumped back into the fray with an 11-3 outburst over the next three minutes as a Hannah Talon (Windham, Maine) layup cut the SJC deficit down to 42-41.
Junior forward Jayne Howe (Pembroke, Mass.) hit a free throw to tie the game at 49-apiece with 1:30 left in the penultimate quarter and Bates headed into the final frame clinging to a 52-51 edge.
The Monks claimed their first lead since the opening minutes when Talon drilled a three-pointer to make it a 58-55 game with 7:04 left in regulation. Senior guard Grace Philippon (Glenburn, Maine) padded the SJC advantage with another trifecta 24 seconds later to lift the Royal Blue to their largest lead - six points - of the evening.
The Bobcats countered with an 11-2 frenzy with Kennedy netting two of her five three-pointers to put the visitors on top, 66-63, with 4:04 on the game clock. SJC sophomore guard Nina Howe (York, Maine) closed out a 6-2 burst with a layup and the Monks back on top, 69-68, with 47 seconds left.
The tide ultimately turned in the Bobcats' favor however, as junior guard Meghan Graff (South Portland, Maine) converted a traditional three-point play 17 seconds later to provide the visitors with a lead that would not be relinquished. With 21 second to play, Bates senior guard Mia Roy (Bedford, N.H.) iced the victory with a pair of free throws, rendering moot a Cassandra Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) trifecta with 2.7 seconds left.
Overall, the game featured nine tie scores and 11 lead changes and neither team gained a double-digit lead.
STATS OF THE GAME:
The Bobcats made 11 of 24 shots from beyond the arc for a 45.8% conversion rate; the Monks countered by shooting just 18.8% (3-16) from downtown.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Stapelfeld led the Monks with 18 points and added four assists and two rebounds in the setback
- Talon came off the bench to score 15 points with five rebounds in 19 minutes
- Philippon chipped in with 13 points and four rebounds
- Sophomore guard Angelica Hurley (Groveland, Mass.) added six points, nine rebounds, and three assists
- Jayne Howe contributed with nine points and six caroms
LEADERS – BATES:
- Kennedy scored a game-high 20 points off a 5-for-11 three-point shooting performance
- Graff tallied 16 points, six assists, five rebounds, and two steals
- Roy scored 15 points with four boards, four steals, and three assists
- Junior forward Brianna Gadaleta (Chappaqua, N.Y.) posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 18-12 in the history of the series with Bates College. The setback also snaps the Monks' 16-game home winning streak – the team's last loss in Standish was an 87-81 defeat at the hands of Worcester State on January 7th, 2020.
NEXT!
The Monks are back in action on Saturday with a home contest versus Norwich University. The conference contest is set for a 1:00 PM tip-off.
