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The Monks are undefeated in conference play and carry an eight-game win streak into Saturday's home game against Johnson & Wales.
Tuesday's 83-67 win over Emmanuel was definitely a measuring stick win for the Saint Joseph's College women's basketball team, said Coach Mike McDevitt. Even so, McDevitt cautioned the win is just a snapshot of a moment in a long season, not an oracle predicting future success.
"With the history we have with Emmanuel, it's a big win. Every year, they're winning the conference championship or playing for it," McDevitt said.
The win was the eighth in a row for the Monks, who improved to 7-0 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference games, 12-3 overall. The win gives St. Joe's a two-game cushion over Emmanuel in the league's North division.
The win also snapped a six-game losing streak to Emmanuel, including losses in the last three conference championship games. On Tuesday night, St. Joe's outrebounded the taller Saints, 32-29. Both teams shot at least 50% from 3-point range, with St. Joe's 9 for 18 and Emmanuel 7 for 13. The difference came with shots in the paint and short jumpers. Emmanuel made just 33% of its 2-point tries (17 for 51). The Monks shot 54% from 2-point range (19 for 35) and made 18 of 22 free throws, and Emmanuel went 12 for 23 at the line.
"They had the height advantage of all five positions," McDevitt said. "They were getting pretty good shots, even getting two or three shots occasionally. They just weren't going in."
The Monks are led by a strong junior class, which includes starting guards Nina Howe of York, Hannah Talon of Windham and Angelica Hurley. The backcourt trio are the Monks' top three scorers, combining to average just over 35 points per game, and also combining for 10.6 assists per game. In each of St. Joe's last three games, each has led the team in scoring. Talon scored 21 points Tuesday in the victory over Emmanuel. Hurley's 16 points led the team in a 65-60 win over St. Joseph of Connecticut and Howe paced the Monks with 15 points in a 71-53 win at Norwich.
McDevitt also pointed to freshman guard Elisabeth Stapelfeld, who scored a career-high 17 points in Tuesday's win, as a key contributor to the Monks' balanced offense. The win over Emmanuel was the fourth time in the last five games Stapelfeld scored in double figures.
After a 2020-21 season in which the Monks were able to play just six games against Maine competition because of the pandemic, and falling in the conference championship last season, the team is self-motivated, said McDevitt, and that frees him up to focus on X's and O's.
"This group of kids is a really easy group to coach, because they get it," McDevitt said.
After games against Johnson & Wales (6-9, 3-5) and Colby-Sawyer (4-10, 2-5), St. Joe's next big conference test comes Jan. 28 at Albertus Magnus (14-1, 9-0), which leads the South division. The winner of that game could end up hosting the GNAC tournament.
"They're a really athletic team, and defensively, a really dangerous team," McDevitt said of Albertus Magnus.
