SCRANTON, Pa. – #3 University of Scranton (28-0) defeated Saint Joseph's College (23-6), 64-45, in the first round of the NCAA DIII Women's Basketball Tournament on Friday evening.
With the win, Scranton advances to the second round of the national tournament and will host Rhode Island College – which defeated Rowan University, 67-59, in tonight's first contest – on Saturday at 8:00 PM.
For the Monks, the loss signals the end of the 2022-23 season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Saint Joseph's kept pace with Scranton early and remained within striking distance for most of the contest, but the Royals claimed a double-digit lead for good with a 16-5 run in the third quarter and clinched a game-high 23-point cushion (63-40) on the heels of an 11-0 run that spanned five minutes late in the fourth frame.
St. Joe's led for the better part of the first quarter before Maddie Hartnett hit a deep three-pointer with 1:11 left in the opening frame to give the Royals a 14-12 edge. SJC junior guard Nina Howe (York, Maine) tied the game with a layup 13 seconds later as the contest headed into the second stanza tied, 14-14
The Monks opened the second with layups from Elisabeth Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) and Hannah Talon (Windham, Maine) to claim an 18-14 advantage with 8:33 on the clock. Scranton proceeded to mount a 14-0 run to stake the game's first double-digit lead (28-18) with 3:42 before the break.
Saint Joseph's managed to salvage the quarter by scoring five unanswered points in the closing 40 seconds, when Nina Howe hit a three-pointer and Stapelfeld drained a jumper with three seconds left to make it a 32-25 game going into intermission.
The Monks started the third period in the same manner in which they closed out the second – on a 5-0 run. The 10-point run cut the Royals' lead to just two points (32-30) after Talon made a pair of freebies with 6:49 left in the third quarter, but the hosts ran out the frame on a 16-5 outburst en route to holding a 48-35 cushion with one quarter left to play.
STATS OF THE GAME:
Scranton netted 16 points off 14 SJC turnovers and committed just four turnovers in the winning effort…the Royals also held the lead in points in the paint (40-14) and bench points (16-2).
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Talon paced the Monks with 18 points and added five rebounds
- Nina Howe netted eight points with three boards and two assists
- Stapelfeld scored eight points with five caroms
- Hurley pulled down nine rebounds and added five points
LEADERS – SCRANTON:
- Bridget Monaghan scored a game-high 19 points with six rebounds
- Kaci Kranson added 13 points and seven rebounds
- Maddie Hartnett came off the bench to tally 10 points with five assists and two boards
SENIOR SEND-OFF:
The setback signals the end of collegiate basketball for the Monks' three seniors: Jayne Howe (Pembroke, Mass.), Mikayla Van Zandt (Westbrook, Maine), and Katie Whitmore (South Portland, Maine). The 2023 graduating class helped St. Joe's post a 69-21 (.767) overall record, including a 38-6 (.864) mark in conference play, with three GNAC Championship game appearances and one conference title during their time on the hardwood. Their contributions, on and off the court, will be missed going forward.
