STANDISH, ME – Megan McDevitt '12 (Cumberland, ME) netted a career-high six three pointers and scored a game-high 19 points to help Saint Joseph's (11-6, 3-1 GNAC) defeat Simmons College (7-10, 2-4 GNAC), 74-56, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference Women's Basketball contest at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon.
The game was closely contested until the Monks posted a 19-1 run mid-way through the first half. McDevitt nailed three trifectas during the five-minute outburst and scored 12 points in the first stanza overall to propel the Royal Blue to a 41-23 advantage heading into halftime.
McDevitt's long-distance tally ties the SJC program record for the most threes made in a single contest. The total, which has been achieved several times, was last attained by Carolyn Freeman '10, who knocked down a half-dozen treys against Mount Ida College on January 19th, 2008.
Ashley Geel '12 (St. George, ME) added 13 points and six caroms in the SJC win while teammate Lindsay Moore '14 (Somersworth, NH) chipped in with 10 points and a game-high seven boards. Danyelle Shufelt '13 (Sutton, VT) tallied eight points with three assists and three steals and Casey Drake '11 (Lebanon, NH) registered six assists, five points and three steals.
Brittany Dolloff '12 (Hollis, NH) paced the Sharks with 12 points off a 4-6 performance from beyond the arc and Emily Thomas '13 (Cheshire, CT) netted 10 points in a losing effort. Hannah May '14 (Hamden, CT) and Leah Davis '14 (Cranston, RI) both scored nine points on the day.
St. Joe's led by at least 20 points for the majority of the second half and gained a game-high 24-point cushion after Moore hit a jumper with 13:48 left in the game.
The Sharks were able to cut their deficit to 14 points – 70-56 – after Deshanthi Perera '14 (Reading, MA) capped an 8-0 Simmons outbreak with a layup at the 2:26 mark, but the surge was too late for the visitors to mount a serious comeback bid.
Saint Joseph's shot 46.3% (25-54) overall, 44.4% (8-18) from three-point range and 66.7% (16-24) from the FT line, while Simmons shot 45% (18-40) from the field, 50% (8-16) from beyond the arc and 66.7% (12-18) from the stripe.
The Monks held a 30-25 advantage on the glass and forced 28 Simmons turnovers with 15 steals en route to victory. St. Joe's also registered 20 assists on 25 field goals on the afternoon and outscored the visitors in the paint by a 32-12 margin.
With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 3-2 against Simmons in the history of the matchup. The Sharks defeated the Monks, 65-57, last season.
Both teams will face conference opponents this Thursday, as Saint Joseph's will play at St. Joseph (CT) on at 7:00 PM, while Simmons hosts Emmanuel at 7:00 PM.