STANDISH, Maine – Top-seeded Saint Joseph's College (20-7) will host #2 University of Saint Joseph (24-3) in the 2024 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Basketball Tournament Championship on Sunday at 1:00 PM.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The winner of Saturday's GNAC Championship game earns an automatic berth into the 2024 NCAA DIII Women's Basketball Championship, which begins on March 1st.
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Saint Joseph's defeated #8 Rivier University, 74-64, in quarterfinal action on Tuesday and edged #4 Emmanuel College, 70-64, in a GNAC semifinal on Thursday to advance to the GNAC Championship for the eighth-consecutive season.
Sophomore forward Grace Ramsdell (Wells, Maine) has averaged 17.5 points and 6.5 rebounds per game while shooting 52.2% (12-23) from the floor, 50% (3-6) from downtown, and 83.3% (5-6) from the free throw line during the two tourney tilts.
University of Saint Joseph topped #7 Regis College, 80-68, in a GNAC quarterfinal on Tuesday and advanced to the GNAC Championship for the first time since 1998 with a 76-66 semifinal victory over Albertus Magnus College on Thursday.
Junior guard Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) has led the Blue Jays' balanced offensive attack through two playoff games, as the third-year starter has averaged 18.5 points and 6.0 assists while shooting 45.5% (10-22) and making all 14 of her free throw attempts in the two tourney triumphs.
BRACKETOLOGY:
Play-In – Monday, Feb. 19
#7 Regis def. #10 Colby-Sawyer, 60-32 | BOX
#8 Rivier def. #9 Johnson & Wales, 82-73 | BOX
Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Feb. 20
#1 Saint Joseph's (Maine) def. #8 Rivier, 74-64 | BOX
#2 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) def. #7 Regis, 80-68 | BOX
#3 Albertus Magnus def. #6 New England College, 86-67 | BOX
#4 Emmanuel def. #5 Lasell, 87-62 | BOX
Semifinals – Thursday, Feb. 22
#1 Saint Joseph's (Maine) def. #4 Emmanuel, 70-64 | BOX
#2 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) def. #3 Albertus Magnus, 76-66 | BOX
Championship – Saturday, Feb. 24
#2 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) at #1 Saint Joseph's (Maine), 1 p.m.
SEASON AT A GLANCE
Saint Joseph's:
- The Monks have won 14 of their last 15 games – including 11 consecutive victories - and own a 10-3 record in Standish this winter
- Saint Joseph's leads the conference in free throw percentage (74.3%), fewest points per game allowed (56.5), and fewest personal fouls per game (14.3) and ranks third in 3FG% (30.6%)
- Four different SJC players are averaging at least 8.0 points per game
- St. Joe's averages 69.1 PPG in 13 games at the Harold Alfond Center this season
University of Saint Joseph:
- The Blue Jays enter the GNAC Championship ranked first in the GNAC in field goals made per game (29.0), FG% (44.0%), 3FG% (35.9%), assists per game (17.7), and rebound margin per game (7.7) and are second in the league in scoring average (74.2), FT% (74.2%), and points per game allowed (57.7)
- USJ has won 14 consecutive games and has not suffered a setback since falling to UMass.-Dartmouth, 87-80, on December 31st.
- The Blue Jays are 10-2 in away games and have averaged 70.3 PPG in 12 road contests this winter
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Saint Joseph's:
- (#20) Senior guard Angelica Hurley (Groveland, Mass.) has enjoyed another fine season and goes into the championship averaging 14.8 points, 7.4 rebounds, 3.4 assists, and 1.7 steals per game; she currently ranks fourth in the GNAC in three-pointers made (61), fifth in defensive rebounds (164), sixth in 3FG% (34.7%), and eighth in assists (93) and FT% (78.7%) and on February 10th became the 27th member of the Monks' 1,000-Point Club
- (#33) Freshman forward Grace Ramsdell (Wells, Maine), an eight-time GNAC Rookie of the Week selection, is averaging 14.3 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists while shooting 47.9% (150-313) from the field and 35.4% (29-82) from downtown; she has recorded eight double-doubles this winter
- (#23) Sophomore guard Elisabeth Stapelfeld (Brookline N.H.) is the Monks' third-leading scorer and averages 9.6 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per contest; she ranks sixth in the conference in FG% (49.7%) and seventh in FT% (79.7%)
- (#11) Senior guard Nina Howe (York, Maine) rounds out the Monks' top scorers and averages 8.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 3.6 rebounds per game while shooting 41.8% from the floor and 85.4% from the FT line; Howe is fourth in the conference in assist/turnover ratio (2.o)
University of Saint Joseph:
- (#33) Senior Jordan Ouellette (Bristol, Conn.) paces the Blue Jays with averages of 16.4 points and 8.7 rebounds per game and ranks second in the conference in field goals made (198), fourth in FG% (51.8%), and seventh in rebounds (234), blocks (25), and points (443)
- (#3) Junior Maya Slisz (New Britain, Conn.) nets 15.1 PPG and leads the team in assists per game (3.8); she leads the conference and ranks second nationally with a 91.1% (112-123) free throw percentage and also ranks fifth in free throws made (112) and sixth in assists (98)
- (#21) Senior Amanda Fudge (Middletown, Conn.) is the Blue Jays' third leading scorer with 12.4 PPG while pulling down 3.9 boards and dealing 3.7 assists per contest this season; she leads the GNAC in 3FG% (41.0%) and ranks fifth in the GNAC with 99 total assists
- (#22) Senior Taylor Verboven (Columbia, Conn.) contributes 10.9 points, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.0 assists per contest; she currently ranks fifth in the conference in FG% (50.9%)
ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP:
Saint Joseph's: Mike McDevitt '83 (645-223, .743) – 32nd collegiate season
Among the most successful coaches in all of NCAA DIII Women's Basketball, McDevitt ranks 10th among active coaches in victories and 17th in winning percentage. Only one coach in New England has more wins and just three (10+ years) have a higher win rate.
During his tenure at Saint Joseph's, Coach McDevitt – a member of the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame - has guided the Monks to at least 20 wins in 22 different seasons, the sixth-highest total in the history of NCAA DIII Women's Basketball, with 19 championships. During his career, McDevitt has garnered 15 'Coach of the Year' accolades, including GNAC top coach honors in 2014, 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2023.
University of Saint Joseph: Wendy Davis (310-243, .561) – 23rd collegiate season
Now in her sixth season as the Blue Jays' skipper, Coach Davis has assembled an annual contender at USJ. In her first year on the USJ sideline in 2018-19, the Blue Jays went 3-22, including a 0-12 mark in GNAC play, and five years later her squad owns the 18th-best winning percentage, .889, in NCAA DIII Women's Basketball.
Davis played collegiately at University of Connecticut, where she was a four-year starter for Head Coach Geno Auriemma and is a member of the New England Basketball Hall of Fame. Prior to her time at USJ, she served as the head coach at Western New England for six seasons and headed up Trinity College for 11 seasons.
THE LAST TIME WE MET – Saint Joseph's 64, University of Saint Joseph 53 (12/2/23 in Standish):
These two teams last met in what was the 2023-24 conference opener for both programs on December 2nd on Mike McDevitt Court. The Monks prevailed, 64-53, after notching a 20-8 lead in bench points and scoring 19 points off 21 USJ turnovers.
Ramsdell led the Monks with 14 points and 11 rebounds while Hurley tallied 13 points, seven boards, five assists, and three steals. Slisz scored 14 points with four rebounds, three assists, and a pair of steals and Verboven added 12 points and seven rebounds in the loss.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
Saint Joseph's is 14-2 all-time versus the University of Saint Joseph and has defeated the Blue Jays in eight consecutive meetings.
GNAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY:
The Monks have appeared in the GNAC Tournament in 15 of 16 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 25-1 at home – and 27-9 overall - in GNAC postseason play since joining the conference in 2007.
The Blue Jays have reached the GNAC playoffs for the third season in a row and own a 9-7 all-time record in the postseason. USJ is looking for their second GNAC Championship and first since 1998.
Saturday's meeting will be the first-ever postseason matchup featuring the Monks and Blue Jays.
