BOSTON, Mass. – Top-seeded Emmanuel College (25-1) captured the 2022 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championship on Sunday afternoon, topping #3 Saint Joseph's College (22-5), 78-70, to earn an automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Basketball Tournament.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Saint Joseph's stumbled out of the gates but fought back into contention with several scoring runs in the third and fourth quarters, but Emmanuel's early advantage proved to be too much for the Monks to overcome as the Saints held on to claim their 18th GNAC Championship and 21st berth into the NCAA tourney.
The Saints kicked off the game on a 20-4 run as the hosts took advantage of eight SJC turnovers and the Monks' 3-for-11 shooting effort to secure a 20-9 lead going into the second quarter.
St. Joe's fared better in the second stanza and trailed by eight points (31-23) after senior guard Cassandra Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) hit a three pointer with 3:59 before the break, but Emmanuel proceeded to score eight unanswered points before junior forward Jayne Howe (Pembroke, Mass.) drained a trifecta at the buzzer to make it a 39-26 game heading into halftime.
The Saints extended their lead to a game-high 22 points (51-29) on the heels of a 12-3 run with 5:44 left in the third period and the Monks mounted a 13-3 surge, which was capped by a Grace Philippon (Glenburn, Maine) traditional three-point play and the visitors trailing 54-42 with 1:14 left in the third.
The Monks maintained the pace and made one last push in the fourth frame. Trailing 69-56 with 6:39 left, Saint Joseph's notched an 11-3 run, which was capped by a Stapelfeld three-pointer to make it a 72-67 game with 2:01 remaining. Unfortunately for the Monks, the rally proved to be too little, too late as SJC went 1-for-4 from the field down the stretch and the Saints made 4-of-6 free throw attempts to clinch the championship win.
STATS OF THE GAME:
Emmanuel held a 42-22 lead in points in the paint and shot 47.8% (32-67) from the field in the victory…Saint Joseph's shot 35.4% (23-65) overall in the loss…The Monks committed 13 turnovers in the first half and closed the scoring gap after coughing up the ball on just two occasions in the second half…St. Joe's "won" the second half, 44-39.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Jayne Howe paced the Monks with 15 points and added five rebounds and three assists
- Stapelfeld added 14 points, five rebounds, and two assists
- Philippon chipped in with 13 points and four boards
- Sophomore guard Angelica Hurley (Groveland, Mass.) tallied 12 points, seven rebounds, six assists, two steals, and a pair of blocked shots
LEADERS – EMMANUEL:
- Senior forward Loredana D'Agostino (Broad Brook, Conn.) led all scorers with 19 points and pulled down nine rebounds
- Graduate Jamad Fiin (Boston, Mass.) tallied 14 points, nine boards, and five assists
- Senior guard Korie Mathis (Duluth, Ga.) contributed 11 points and three assists
- Freshman guard Yannie Chan (Hong Kong, China) scored 10 points with eight caroms, two assists, and two steals
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
This was the sixth all-time meeting between EC and SJM in the GNAC title game with the Saints improving to 4-2 in the championship series. Emmanuel is now 18-4 all-time in GNAC Championship appearances while the Monks move to 4-4 all-time in the league finale.
2022 GNAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM
Pam Gonzalez, Regis College
Jakara Murray-Leach, Albertus Magnus
Angelica Hurley, Saint Joseph's
Cassandra Stapelfeld, Saint Joseph's
Korie Mathis, Emmanuel
Jamad Fiin, Emmanuel
MVP - Loredana D'Agostino, Emmanuel
