PHOTO CREDIT: Laurel Clace '25
STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (5-3, 1-0 GNAC) defeated University of Saint Joseph (6-1, 0-1 GNAC), 64-53, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball action on Mike McDevitt Court at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The 2023-24 conference opener featured four tie scores and four lead changes – all in the first half – but the Monks managed to secure the GNAC win with a dominant second quarter and solid free-throw shooting.
Trailing 18-15 after the opening period, the Monks forced 10 turnovers and held the visiting Blue Jays to 3-of-12 shooting from the field during the second stanza. As a result, SJC outscored USJ by a 19-8 margin in the second quarter and led 34-26 heading into intermission. Sophomore Logan Brown (Brunswick, Maine) netted nine points off a -3-for-3 shooting effort during the second frame.
Saint Joseph's held a game-high 15-point (46-31) advantage after sophomore Grace Ramsdell (Wells, Maine) made a jumper with 3:17 left in the third quarter, but USJ cut their deficit down to single digits with a 7-1 run spanning the remainder of the period and trailed, 38-47, going into the last quarter.
The Monks maintained at least a nine-point cushion until midway through the fourth, when the Blue Jays scored nine unanswered points in a matter of 2:19 minutes to make it a 51-48 game with 5:32 remaining. St. Joe's managed to hold off USJ by netting seven consecutive points and senior Angelica Hurley (Groveland, Mass.) went 4-for-4 from the FT line in the closing 30 seconds to preserve the victory.
STATS OF THE GAME:
Saint Joseph's held a 20-8 lead in bench points and netted 19 points off 21 USJ turnovers…The Monks also shot 78.9% (15-19) from the charity stripe while the Blue Jays went 12-for-18 (66.7%) from the line.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Ramsdell notched a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds while tallying two assists, two steals, and a pair of blocked shots
- Hurley recorded 13 points, seven boards, five assists, and three steals
- Sophomore guard Elisabeth Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) chipped in with 12 points and a pair of assists
- Brown came off the bench to score 10 points off a 3-for-3 shooting effort from the field
- Sophomore Madison Lebel (Hermon, Maine) pulled down six rebounds
LEADERS – UNIVERSITY OF SAINT JOSEPH:
- Junior Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) scored 14 points with four rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals
- Senior Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) added 12 points and seven rebounds
- Senior Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) contributed 11 points and seven caroms
- Senior forward Olivia Heslin (Plainville, Conn.) chipped in with six points, six rebounds, and a pair of steals
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 14-2 all-time versus the University of Saint Joseph and has now defeated the Blue Jays in eight consecutive meetings.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will play at Regis College next Saturday in a GNAC matchup slated for a 1:00 PM tip-off.
