LEWISTON, Maine -- Morgan Cahill led the way with 27 points, 16 rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots as Saint Joseph's College defeated the Bates College women's basketball team 61-54 in a non-conference game Thursday night at Alumni Gymnasium.
Cahill made 13-of-16 shots from the field and grabbed 15 of her rebounds off the defensive glass, leading St. Joe's (7-2) to a 41-38 rebounding advantage. The senior center totaled nine points and eight rebounds as St. Joe's outscored Bates 19-12 in the third quarter, the only period in the game with more than a one-point difference between the teams.
The Monks shot 53.3 percent from the field in the second half and 45.9% for the game, despite missing all 12 of their three-point attempts.
Allie Coppola had a team-high 13 points with nine rebounds for Bates (2-6), while Nina Davenport contributed her first double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds (all on the defensive glass).
The Monks got out to a 14-6 lead with 2:34 left in the first quarter, with Cahill scoring six points and Kelsi McNamara netting four, but Bates finished the period with a 7-0 run, sparked by a Davenport three. Bates took its first lead on a jumper by Bernadette Connors that made it 18-16 with 5:38 to go in the half, and another Davenport three made it 21-16. The Monks tied it up at 25-25 by intermission, with Cahill contributing 10 points and seven rebounds to the Monks' cause and Davenport totaling six points and seven boards.
With 7:00 to go in the third quarter, Cahill sank a jumper. The Monks made two defensive stops before Cahill converted a three-point play for a 34-28 advantage. Cahill scored two more buckets in the period to offset seven free throws made in a row by Bates, for a 44-37 lead after three periods.
Brianne Maloney's three-point play opened the scoring in the final period and gave the Monks a 10-point advantage, and the sophomore forward later assisted a layup by Emily Kehoe that gave St. Joe's a 59-46 lead with 4:17 left. A 3-pointer by Bates senior Chelsea Nason cut the lead down to single digits again, and a layup by Coppola in the closing seconds made it a 61-54 final.
Bates was held to 30.4% shooting from the field for the game, including 18.2% (4-22) from beyond the arc.
Bates is out of action until Jan. 2, when the Bobcats host Bowdoin in a non-conference game. St. Joe's will play at Fisher College on Saturday at noon.
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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 474-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.