STANDISH, Maine – Third-seeded Saint Joseph's College (21-4, 14-2 GNAC) will play at #2 Albertus Magnus College (17-8, 15-2 GNAC) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Basketball Tournament Semifinal on Saturday at 3:00 PM.
OVERVIEW
Today's winner advances to the GNAC Championship and will face the victor of the other semifinal contest - #4 Regis College at #1 Emmanuel College – on Sunday, tip-off TBD. The higher seed serves as host throughout tourney play.
The winner of the GNAC Championship game earns an automatic berth into the 2022 NCAA DIII Women's Basketball Championship, which begins on March 4th.
BRACKETOLOGY:
First Round - Tuesday, February 22
#8 Norwich def. #9 Lasell, 58-48
#5 Saint Joseph CT def. #12 JWU, 65-50
#6 Rivier def. #11 Anna Maria, 93-67
#7 Elms def. #10 Colby-Sawyer, 66-55
Quarterfinals - Wednesday, February 23
#1 Emmanuel def. #8 Norwich, 69-47
#4 Regis def. #5 Saint Joseph CT, 68-50
#3 Saint Joseph's Maine def. #6 Rivier, 88-70
#2 Albertus Magnus def. #7 Elms, 93-57
Semifinals - Saturday, February 26
#4 Regis at #1 Emmanuel, 3:00 PM
#3 Saint Joseph's Maine at #2 Albertus Magnus, 3:00 PM
Championship - Sunday, February 27
Final at highest remaining seed
SEASON AT A GLANCE
Saint Joseph's:
- The Monks have won 10 of their last 11 games and own an 11-2 record on the road this winter
- Saint Joseph's leads the conference in scoring average (76.0 PPG), field goal percentage (44.6%), 3FG per game (8.4), 3FG% (36.9%), free throw % (74.5%), and fewest personal fouls per game (12.3)
- St. Joe's also ranks second in free throws made per game (12.9), assists per game (18.0), and fewest points per game allowed (54.7)
- Eight different SJC players are scoring at least 5.7 points per game
- St. Joe's averages 73.0 PPG in 13 games at the Harold Alfond Center this season
Albertus Magnus:
- The Falcons have won 13-consecutive games – the second-longest active winning streak in the conference
- Albertus Magnus leads the GNAC in fewest turnovers per game (14.4) and rank second in steals per game (12.1), opponents' FG% (33.4%) and opponents' 3FG% (24.4%)
- Albertus is 10-2 and averaging 75.8 PPG at home this season
- Six different Albertus Magnus players are averaging at least 5.5 PPG with three contributing at least 11.0 PPG
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Saint Joseph's:
- (#12) Senior guard Cassandra Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) ranks second in the conference in scoring average (18.3 PPG), points (457), three-pointers made (65), and 3FG% (41.7%); among all currently active NCAA DIII players, she ranks third in FT% (85.3%), seventh in 3FG made (228), and 10th in career points (1,661)
- (#20) Sophomore guard Angelica Hurley (Groveland, Mass.) has been an all-around contributor for the Monks this season and averages 10.8 points, 8.4 rebounds and 3.7 assists; she leads the league in defensive rebounds (183) and assists (92)
- (#30) Junior forward Jayne Howe (Pembroke, Mass.) is the Monks' third-leading scorer and averages 9.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per contest; she is currently ranked fifth in the GNAC in assist/turnover ratio (1.8)
Albertus Magnus:
- Freshman guard Jakara Murray-Leach (Norwalk, Conn.) averages 18.3 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game and ranks second in the GNAC in field goals made (174) and scoring average (18.3 PPG), third in points (440), and fourth in steals (58)
- Sophomore guard Caitlyn Scott (White Plains, N.Y.) contributes 13.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per contest and is second in the conference in assists (91) and third in free throws made (94)
- Freshman guard Diamond White (Hampden, Conn.) is averaging 11.4 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game
ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP:
Saint Joseph's: Mike McDevitt '83 (601-209, .742) – 30th collegiate season
Among the most successful coaches in all of NCAA DIII Women's Basketball, McDevitt ranks 13th among active coaches in victories and 17th in winning percentage. Only two coaches in New England have more wins and just three (10+ years) have a higher win rate.
During his tenure at Saint Joseph's, Coach McDevitt has guided the Monks to at least 20 wins in 19 different seasons, the fifth-highest total in the history of NCAA DIII Women's Basketball, with 18 championships. During his career, McDevitt has garnered 14 'Coach of the Year' accolades, including GNAC top coach honors following the 2018-19 campaign.
With an 89-28 win over Lasell last Saturday, Coach McDevitt hit a major milestone by becoming the 24th coach in NCAA DIII Women's Basketball history to reach the 600-victory mark. He is one of just 12 active coaches to have reached the landmark.
Albertus Magnus: JR Fredette (140-95, .596) – 10th collegiate season
Fredette, named as the Falcons' head coach prior to the start of the 2012-13 campaign, has led Albertus to seven winning seasons, including the second 20-win performance in program history (20-8) in his first year and a 23-win effort in 2018-19.
THE LAST TIME WE MET – Saint Joseph's 75, Albertus Magnus 50 (12/4/2021, Standish):
The Monks held a 14-8 lead after the first quarter and increased the advantage to 29-19 with 2:33 left in the second stanza before notching an 11-4 run to close out the half with a 40-23 cushion.
The hosts picked up where they left off in the third quarter and built a game-high 29-point lead after senior guard Cassandra Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) drained a three-pointer with 51 seconds remaining in the penultimate period.
The Falcons took advantage of the Monks' lack of ball security in the fourth quarter and parlayed seven SJC turnovers into a 16-12 final frame advantage but would get no closer to the lead than 19 points after being held off the board for the final 4:17 of the contest.
The Monks shot 44.0% (11-25) from three-point distance and held the Falcons to a 15% (3-20) effort from downtown. St. Joe's held a 58-31 advantage in rebounds which led to a 17-9 edge in second-chance points. The Monks win despite committing 19 turnovers off which the Falcons netted 16 points.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
Saint Joseph's is 17-0 in the history of the series with Albertus Magnus College.
GNAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY:
The Monks have appeared in the GNAC Tournament in 13 of 14 seasons as a member of the conference and claimed the program's first GNAC Championship in 2014, when the Royal Blue defeated Norwich University, 63-47, in the title game at the Alfond Center on March 1st, 2014.
Including the 2014 title, Saint Joseph's has won four conference championships. The Monks are 0-7 on the road - and 21-8 overall - in GNAC postseason play since joining the conference in 2007. St. Joe's is appearing in the GNAC semifinal round for the 10th time - and fifth-consecutive season - and the Monks are 7-2 in the penultimate round of the GNAC tourney.
The Falcons are in the midst of their 20th GNAC Tournament appearance and are playing in a semifinal contest for the first time since the 2018-19 season, when AMC defeated Regis College in quarterfinal play.
Albertus Magnus is 13-19 all-time in GNAC Tournament play and last advanced to the GNAC Championship game in 1998, when they fell to University of Saint Joseph by an 85-74 score.
The Monks and Falcons have met in the GNAC Tournament on three occasions prior to this afternoon, as SJC topped Albertus, 78-65, in semifinal action in 2018 and posted quarterfinal victories over AMC in 2017 (64-61) and 2012 (89-51).
