PHOTO CREDIT: Deja Driscoll Smith, USM Athletic Comms Intern
GORHAM, Maine – Senior guard Nina Howe (York, Maine) drilled the game-winning three-pointer with 14 seconds left to lift Saint Joseph's College (4-2) past University of Southern Maine (1-5), 53-52, in a non-conference women's basketball contest on Sunday evening.
COSTELLO CUP:
With the victory, Saint Joseph's retains possession of the Costello Cup for the eighth-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 12-18 in the history of the Costello Cup series, which began in 1990. The eight-game win streak versus the Huskies is the Monks' longest during the series.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Huskies kicked off the rivalry matchup with the hot hand and built an early 13-5 lead after shooting nearly 70% (4-6) from the floor in the first six minutes of the first quarter. The Monks responded with a 13-2 run and closed out the opening frame with an 18-15 edge.
Neither team played well in the second quarter, as the teams combined to make just seven shots on 26 attempts (26.9%) with 11 total turnovers as the Monks headed into intermission with a slim 28-26 advantage.
In the third quarter the Monks' shooting woes continued, as the Royal Blue went 2-for-15 – including an 0-for-10 effort from beyond the arc – in the penultimate period. The Huskies, on the other hand, made six of 11 shots from the field and carried a 43-39 lead into the final frame.
In the fourth quarter, Saint Joseph's reclaimed the lead with an 11-2 run, which was capped by an Elisabeth Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) layup with 5:05 remaining. Seniors Tamrah Gould (Manchester, N.H.) and Tara Flanders (Windham, Maine) converted layups over the next 70 seconds for the Huskies to make it a 50-49 game with 3:52 on the clock. The one-point edge was frozen on the scoreboard until Gould made a three-pointer to give her team a 52-50 lead with 28 seconds left.
After a 30-second timeout, the Monks took the ball inbounds from just inside halfcourt and ran their offense until Howe drained an open shot from the top of the arc with 14 seconds remaining. The Huskies had one last attempt to clinch a dramatic victory, but a last second layup was off the mark and Stapelfeld pulled down the defensive rebound to seal the triumph.
STATS OF THE GAME:
Free throw shooting proved to be the difference in tonight's contest, as the Monks kept pace with the Huskies by shooting 85% (17-20) from the charity stripe…Saint Joseph's also held an 18-11 lead in points off turnovers.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Stapelfeld led the Monks with 13 points and pulled down seven rebounds
- Ramsdell recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds
- Senior Angelica Hurley (Groveland, Mass.) tallied 13 points and seven boards
- Howe netted eight points
- Sophomore Madison Lebel (Hebron, Maine) made her first career start and added five points and six caroms
LEADERS – SOUTHERN MAINE:
- Senior Franny Ramsdell (Wells, Maine) – sister of SJC sophomore Grace Ramsdell – led all scorers with 17 points and added seven boards with three steals
- Gould added 13 points and five rebounds
- Senior Liz Cote (Conway, N.H.) netted eight points with four rebounds
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the victory Saint Joseph's improves to 14-41 in the history of the series with the University of Southern Maine.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will host Bowdoin College on Wednesday in a non-conference contest set to start at 7:00 PM.
