FARMINGTON, ME – Saint Joseph's College (4-1) defeated University of Maine-Farmington (1-3), 58-44, in non-conference women's basketball action on Monday night. Senior forward Abby Young (North Yarmouth, Maine) netted a game-high 20 points in the victory.
Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H.) paced the Saint Joseph's starters with 19 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
Junior guard Lindsay Ranquist led UMaine-Farmington with 13 points, while sophomore forward Meghan Smith charted 10 points and seven rebounds. Sophomore Ayla Allen also hauled down seven boards to go with her four points and two blocks.
The Monks forced UMaine-Farmington into committing 25 turnovers - a tally that yielded 21 points for a Saint Joseph's team that shot just 31.8 percent (21-of-66) from the field. The Beavers were slightly better at 33.3 percent (16-of-48) field goal shooting, but Farmington was held to 4-of-24 shooting in the second half (.167) and could not keep pace with a game that was tied 28-28 at the half.
The game remained tied at 31-31 at the 18:46 mark of the second half, following a Marisa Kelley layup. St. Joe's answered with a Young layup, and continued with eight more points to take a 41-31 lead with 15:59 showing on the clock.
The Monks held roughly a 10-point lead the rest of the way, extending the margin late on a Sarah Assante (Standish, Maine) foul shot and another layup by Young.
In the first half, the Beavers twice built their lead up to six points, only to see the Monks rally both times when Farmington threatened to make the margin wider.
A 10-0 run by Saint Joseph's in the latter part of the first half left the Monks with a 27-23 lead with 2:13 to play in the half, but a layup by Elizabeth Ferry and a Holly Oliver 3-pointer gave the Beavers a slim lead.Abbie Eastman's (Norway, Maine) free throw in the waning second forced the game into the halftime tie.
UMaine-Farmington opens North Atlantic Conference play on Tuesday, Dec. 3, when it travels to Castine, Maine, to face Maine Maritime Academy. St. Joseph's College returns to the hardwood on Sunday, Dec. 1, when it hosts the University of Southern Maine in a 5:30 p.m. tip-off.
GAME NOTES:
Saint Joseph's is now 38-29 all-time versus University of Maine-Farmington…the Monks have now defeated the Beavers in four-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2010 campaign…the Beavers' 44 points in this evening's contest is the third-fewest scored by a UMF squad in the 67-game history of the series…St. Joe's is off to a 4-1 start to the season for the third-straight year…looking ahead: Saint Joseph's will host in-state rival University of Southern Maine in the annual Costello Cup matchup…the Monks are 7-36 all-time versus the Huskies and have claimed the Costello Cup – named in honor of the late Dr. Richard "Doc" Costello, former USM Athletic Director and long-time basketball coach – four times in the history of the grudge match…St. Joe's last captured the Cup, which is housed for a calendar year by the victorious program each season, with a 67-62 OT win at the Alfond Center on November 30th, 2011.
Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.