STANDISH, Maine – Senior guard Angelica Hurley (Groveland, Mass.) netted 25 points to help lift top-seeded Saint Joseph's College (21-7) past #2 University of Saint Joseph (24-4), 85-72, in the 2024 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Basketball Championship on Mike McDevitt Court at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon.
With the victory, Saint Joseph's claims the GNAC's automatic qualifier into the NCAA DIII National Tournament, which begins on Friday, March 1st. The Monks will learn their first-round opponent and host site when the tournament bracket announcement is shown live on the www.ncaa.com website at 2:30 PM on Monday.
The Monks have successfully defended the 2023 conference crown with six GNAC Championships in the last 10 seasons (2014, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023, 2024). For Head Coach Mike McDevitt '83, the title is the 20th of his collegiate career, which spans 32 seasons.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The fast-paced first quarter featured eight tie scores and three lead changes as the teams combined to shoot 51.4% (18-35) in the opening frame. The Monks held a 22-21 edge going into the second stanza after Hurley netted seven points in the final two minutes of the period.
The frenzied pace continued into the second quarter as the Monks and Blue Jays fought through three ties and swapped the lead five times in the first six minutes. As it played out, the sixth and final lead change took place with 2:37 before the break, when sophomore guard Elisabeth Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) drilled a three-pointer to make it a 35-33 game.
Stapelfeld's trifecta ignited a 9-1 surge that saw the Monks carry a 41-34 advantage – the largest lead of the game to that point - into intermission. Hurley led the Monks with 12 first-half points while USJ senior Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) was 8-for-12 with 17 points and seven rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.
USJ junior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) kicked off the third frame with a pair of quick buckets to cut her team's deficit to three points (41-38) with 8:56 to play in the penultimate period. The Monks responded with a 10-2 run that spanned nearly five minutes, as sophomore guard Logan Brown (Brunswick, Maine) hit a three-pointer at the 4:25 mark to provide her team with a 51-40 cushion.
The SJC scoring surge proved to be the difference, as the Monks proceeded to hold a lead of at least nine points for the remainder of the afternoon. The hosts assembled a game-high 18-point lead after senior guard Nina Howe (York, Maine) made a layup to give the Monks a 74-56 cushion with 4:08 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Blue Jay did not go down without a fight however, as a three-pointer from Amanda Fudge (Middletown, Conn.) cut the SJC advantage down to 10 points, 80-70, with 44 seconds remaining. USJ would get no closer however, as the visitors did not make another field goal for the rest of the game. In the meantime, the Monks went 5-for-6 from the free throw line to ice the victory.
STATS OF THE GAME:
The Monks tied a team record with just four turnovers in today's triumph – the last time St. Joe's committed four TO's came in a victory over UMaine-Presque Isle on January 12th, 2002…SJC shot 31.0% (9-29) from three-point range while USJ went 2-for-15 from downtown for a 13.3% clip.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Hurley led five Monks – all starters – in double digits with 25 points and added nine rebounds, two assists, and a pair of blocked shots
- Stapelfeld tallied 16 points and six boards
- Sophomore forward Grace Ramsdell (Wells, Maine) added 13 points, nine caroms, and three assists
- Sophomore forward Madison Lebel (Hermon, Maine) was a defensive force and scored 13 points with nine rebounds and a pair of rejections
- Howe produced 11 points and nine assists – the senior guard dealt 17 assists and committed just one turnover in the GNAC semifinal and championship games combined
LEADERS – UNIVERSITY OF SAINT JOSEPH:
- Ouellette registered a double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds
- Senior guard Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) also posted a double-double with 20 points and 12 boards
- Fudge added 10 points, three assists, two rebounds, and a pair of steals
- Slisz chipped in with 10 points, three caroms, and two assists
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the victory Saint Joseph's improves to 15-2 in the history of the series with University of Saint Joseph and has now defeated the Blue Jays in nine-straight matchups.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM:
MVP – Angelica Hurley, Saint Joseph's College
Nina Howe, Saint Joseph's College
Grace Ramsdell, Saint Joseph's College
Maya Slisz, University of Saint Joseph
Jordan Ouellette, University of Saint Joseph
Kiera Eubanks, Emmanuel College
Caitlyn Scott, Albertus Magnus College
