STANDISH, Maine – #1N Saint Joseph's College (22-5) will host #2N Emmanuel College (22-5) in the 2023 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Basketball Tournament Championship on Sunday at 1:00 PM.

OVERVIEW:

Six of the last seven GNAC Women's Basketball Championship games have been contested between the Saints and Monks, with 2018 being the lone exception. SJC defeated Emmanuel in 2016 and 2017 while the Saints have won the last three title-game meetings in 2019, 2020, and 2022.

WHAT'S NEXT?

The winner of Sunday's GNAC Championship game earns an automatic berth into the 2023 NCAA DIII Women's Basketball Championship, which begins on March 3rd.

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

The Monks won quarterfinal and semifinal contests at home over #4S Johnson & Wales University  (80-51) and #3N Rivier University (83-55) on Tuesday and Friday, respectively.

Junior guard Hannah Talon (Windham, Maine) averaged 26.0 points while shooting 62.1% (18-29) from the floor and 92.8% (13-14) from the free throw line in the two tourney wins.

The Saints survived a first-round scare with a 70-67 overtime win over #3S University of Saint Joseph on Tuesday and held off the top seed in the South Division – Albertus Magnus College – on the Falcons' home court in a semifinal matchup on Friday, 66-55.

Junior guard Olivia Matela (Swampscott, Mass.) averaged 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 3.0 assists in the pair of tournament triumphs.  

BRACKETOLOGY:

Tuesday, February 21 – QUARTERFINALS

GAME 1: #1N Saint Joseph's def. #4S JWU, 80-51 BOX
GAME 2: #3N Rivier def. #2S Regis, 78-58 BOX
GAME 3: #2N Emmanuel def. #3S St. Joseph CT, 70-67 (OT) BOX
GAME 4: #1S Albertus Magnus def. #4N Colby-Sawyer, 75-60 BOX

Friday, February 24 - SEMIFINALS

GAME 5: #1N Saint Joseph's Maine def. #3N Rivier, 83-55 BOX
GAME 6: #2N Emmanuel def. #1S Albertus Magnus, 66-55 BOX

Sunday, February 26 - CHAMPIONSHIP

GAME 7: #2N Emmanuel at #1N Saint Joseph's Maine, 1:00 PM

SEASON AT A GLANCE

Saint Joseph's:

• The Monks have won 18 of their last 20 games and own a 12-2 record in Standish this winter
• Nationally, St. Joes ranks fifth in 3FG% (36.5%), sixth in assists average (18.1), eighth in FT% (76.0), and ninth in scoring margin (22.7)
• Saint Joseph's leads the conference in field goal percentage (44.0%), 3FG per game (8.4), 3FG% (36.5%), FT% (76.0%),assists per game (18.1), and lowest PPG allowed average (51.4)
• Seven different SJC players are scoring at least 6.0 points per game
• St. Joe's averages 73.1 PPG in 14 games at the Harold Alfond Center this season

Emmanuel:

• The Saints enter the GNAC Championship ranked first in the GNAC and second in the nation among D-III programs in rebounding margin, holding a +17.3 margin over opponents
• This year's team currently sits second in the GNAC while ranking seventh in the nation in assists per game (17.9) and leads the GNAC while ranking 23rd in the country in steals average (13.2)
• EC leads the GNAC in scoring offense, averaging 77.3 PPG, which also ranks 11th in the country
• Since the end of the first semester, Emmanuel has posted a 16-1 record and enters the Championship Game on an 11-game winning streak
• The Saints are 7-4 and have averaged 67.7 PPG in 11 road contests this winter

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Saint Joseph's:

• (#14) Junior guard Hannah Talon (Windham, Maine) is averaging 14.5 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 2.8 assists per game and leads the GNAC in FG% (55.4%) and ranks second in 3FG% (41.1%), third in FT% (81.0%), and fourth in FT made (94) and assist/turnover ratio (1.7)
• (#20) Junior guard Angelica Hurley (Groveland, Mass.) has been an all-around contributor for the Monks this season and averages 11.8 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.2 assists; she ranks fifth in the conference in FT% (78.2%) and sixth in assists (82), 3FG made (51), and defensive rebounds (166) and seventh in 3FG% (36.7%)
• (#23) Freshman guard Elisabeth Stapelfeld (Brookline N.H.) is the Monks' third-leading scorer and averages 10.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 2.0 assists per contest; she ranks fifth in the conference in FG% (49.8%)
• (#11) Junior guard Nina Howe (York, Maine) ranks first in the conference in 3FG% (42.5%) and is third in assists (111), fifth in assist/turnover ratio (1.7), and sixth in steals (58); she is the Monks' fourth-leading scorer (9.0 PPG)

Emmanuel:

• (#13) Sophomore forward Yannie Chan (Hong Kong, China) is averaging 14.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 5.4 assists per game and ranks second in the GNAC in assists (125) and sixth in 3FG% (36.9%)
• (#5) Junior guard Olivia Matela (Swampscott, Mass.) averages 14.0 points and 4.0 boards per contest and is second in the conference in three-pointers made (70) and fifth in 3FG% (37.2%)
• (#24) Junior forward Kiera Eubanks (Portland, Maine) contributes 8.5 points and 7.2 caroms per game and ranks third in the GNAC in FG% (54.2%)
• (#15) Sophomore forward Desiree Robinson (New Haven, Conn.) adds 7.6 points and 7.5 rebounds per tilt and is second in the league in offensive rebounds (92) and ninth in FG% (46.9%)

ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP:

Saint Joseph's: Mike McDevitt '83 (624-215, .744) – 31st collegiate season

Among the most successful coaches in all of NCAA DIII Women's Basketball, McDevitt ranks 11th among active coaches in victories and 18th 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 21 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 in 2014, 2017, 2018, and 2019.

With an 89-28 win over Lasell on February 19th, 2022, 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.

Emmanuel: Andy Yosinoff (900-296, .753) – 46th collegiate season

In his 46th season with Emmanuel, Coach Yosinoff became just the 10th coach in NCAA Women's Basketball History to reach 900 career wins, coming in Friday's semifinal victory at Albertus.

Yosinoff is no stranger to the GNAC Championship Game, making his 19th appearance in the Title Game on Sunday. In total, Yosinoff is 900-296 for his career, including 311-18 (.945) in regular season GNAC play.

THE LAST TIME WE MET – Emmanuel 73, Saint Joseph's 69 (2/11/23, Boston):

Just two weeks ago, on Feb. 11, the Saints picked up a 73-69 victory over the Monks on Yosinoff Court, a win that put EC and SJC into a tie at the top of the GNAC North Division and avenged an earlier-season loss at Saint Joseph's on Jan. 17.

Chan finished with a game-high 26 points, including the de facto game-winning three-pointer with 1:15 remaining in the fourth quarter. Junior Shakirah Ketant (Easton, Mass.) added 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Nina Howe led the Monks with 19 points in the defeat.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

The Saints and Monks are no strangers to each other, meeting up for their 32nd time, including a seventh time in the GNAC Championship. Emmanuel is 23-8 in the previous 31 meetings and holds a 4-2 record versus Saint Joseph's in the GNAC Title Game.

GNAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY:

The Monks have appeared in the GNAC Tournament in 14 of 15 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.

After the 2014 title, Saint Joseph's rattled off four-consecutive conference championships from 2016 to 2018. The Monks are 22-1 at home – and 24-9 overall - in GNAC postseason play since joining the conference in 2007.

Emmanuel is no stranger to the GNAC tournament making its 27th consecutive appearance in the field and owns a 67-8 all-time record for a league-best 18 titles. EC has won three straight conference championships and appeared in seven of the last eight title games.

Head-to-head in the tournament, Emmanuel is 5-2 all-time against Saint Joseph's. Emmanuel topped the Monks 71-52 in the 2009 GNAC Quarterfinals and posted wins in the GNAC Championship game in 2012 (68-57), 2019 (65-64), 2020 (67-50) and 2022 (78-70) while the Monks came out on top in the title game in 2016 (66-62) and 2017 (81-70 OT).

THANKS IN PART TO EMMANUEL COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION