PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Theodores '25
STANDISH, Maine – Top-seeded Saint Joseph's College (19-7) outlasted #8 Rivier University (10-17), 74-64, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball tournament quarterfinal on Mike McDevitt Court at the Harold Alfond Center on Tuesday evening.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:
With the victory, Saint Joseph's advances to the semifinal round of the GNAC Tournament for the eighth year in a row and will host #4 Emmanuel College in second round action on Thursday at 5:30 PM. Emmanuel topped #5 Lasell University, 87-62, in other quarterfinal action this evening.
For Rivier, tonight's loss signals the end of the 2023-24 season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Monks looked to put the game away early with a 14-2 en route to holding a 27-9 advantage after senior Hailey Anderson (Beverly, Mass.) hit a three-pointer nine seconds into the second quarter. The Raiders had other plans however, as the visitors outscored the hosts by a 17-6 margin during the remained of the second stanza to cut their deficit down to 33-26 at the break.
As it played out, Saint Joseph's held the lead for the rest of the game, but Rivier battled until the final buzzer and nearly pushed ahead on several occasions. The first close call came when sophomore Mia Fantauzzi (Londonderry, N.H.) made it a one-point (37-36) game after connecting for a three-pointer, her second trifecta in a 75-second window, with 6:54 left in the third quarter.
After a timeout, the Monks rattled off nine unanswered points to gain some breathing room. Senior guard Nina Howe (York, Maine) netted five quick points off a long ball and a layup and sophomore forward Grace Ramsdell (Wells, Maine) made a pair of layups to account for the surge and give the hosts a 46-36 cushion with 4:54 left in the third period.
Leading 54-44 after freshman guard Maddie Russell (Oakfield, Maine) made a layup with 8:16 remaining in the fourth frame, the Monks saw their cushion slip to just two points (58-56) after senior guard Lyric Grumblatt (Manchester, N.H.) drilled a three with 3:41 to play.
The conference foes swapped scores during the subsequent 90 seconds and the Monks iced the victory when four different players accounted for a 12-for-12 free-throw shooting performance in the closing 46 seconds.
STATS OF THE GAME:
Saint Joseph's shot 85.0% (17-20) from the free throw line while Rivier made just 8-of-17 shots for a 47.1% clip from the charity stripe…The Monks held the lead in rebounds (38-27), points off turnovers (22-16), points in the paint (38-26), and bench points (21-10).
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Howe netted a career-high 20 points while making 6-of-9 shots from the floor and going 6-for-6 from the FT line with five assists, four rebounds, and three assists
- Ramsdell scored 15 points with seven rebounds and a pair of steals
- Anderson came off the bench to net 12 points in 21 minutes
- Senior Angelica Hurley (Groveland, Mass.) chipped in with 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals, and four points
- Russell contributed six points, five boards, and two assists
- Sophomore Madison Lebel (Hermon, Maine) scored four points with seven caroms and two steals
LEADERS – RIVIER:
- Grumblatt netted a game-high 30 points with 13 rebounds, four assists, and two steals
- Senior Anna Stenger (Weare, N.H.) added 13 points and three rebounds
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 24-5 in the history of the series with Rivier University and has now defeated the Raiders in 12-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2016-17 campaign.
