STANDISH, Maine – University of New England (14-3, 10-0 CCC) defeated Saint Joseph's College (14-4, 4-0 GNAC), 78-55, in a non-conference women's basketball game at the Harold Alfond Center on Monday evening.
THE LEAD
University of New England opened the contest with seven unanswered points and proceeded to maintain the lead, with the help of a season-high 10 three-pointers, for the duration of play. Six different UNE players netted at least one trifecta on the evening.
The Monks threatened midway through the second quarter and cut the deficit to 26-25 after juniorEmily Kehoe (Perkinsville, Vt.) drilled a three-pointer with 5:23 before the break, but the Nor'easters outscored St. Joe's by an 11-4 margin for the remainder of the second stanza en route to taking a 37-29 advantage into intermission.
UNE assumed control of the contest in the third quarter, as the visitors shot 50% (8-16) from the floor – including a 4-5 performance from downtown – with a 6-8 effort from the free-throw line, and held a 19-point cushion heading into the final frame.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S
- Kehoe provided a spark off the bench and netted 12 points – including seven in the first quarter – with three rebounds
- Freshman guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) scored 12 points with five assists and three steals
- Senior center Morgan Cahill (Yarmouth, Maine) tallied 10 points with four rebounds and a pair of blocked shots
- Freshman forward Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) chipped in with eight points and five caroms
LEADERS – UNE
- Senior guard Sadie DiPierro (South Portland, Maine/McAuley) poured in a game-high 17 points with nine rebounds
- Junior center Alicia Brown (Greenland, N.H.) notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 boards
- Sophomore forward Olivia Shaw (Saco, Maine) contributed 10 points with six rebounds
- Senior guard Alanna Vose (Cushing, Maine) added 10 points off the bench
- Senior guard Meghan Gribbin (Windham, Maine) scored nine points with four assists
- Senior guard Lauren Hayden (Chantilly, Va.) posted five points with eight boards and eight assists
TEAM STATS
Saint Joseph's shot 33.9% (20-59) overall, 16.7% (3-18) from three-point distance, and 80% (12-15) from the free throw line. University of New England shot 44.1% (26-59) from the floor, 47.6% (10-21) from downtown, and 66.7% (16-24) from the charity stripe in the victory.
UNE held the lead in points off turnovers (13-12), second-chance points (16-6), and bench points (27-22) while SJC led in points in the paint (22-16) and fast break points (4-0) in the setback.
NOTEWORTHY
The Nor'easters have now won nine straight contests while the loss signals the end of a six-game winning streak for the Monks.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 49-17 in the history of the series with University of New England. The Nor'easters have now defeated the Monks in 12 consecutive meetings dating back to the 2004-05 campaign.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's hosts University of Saint Joseph (CT) in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference(GNAC) battle at 1:00 PM on Saturday. UNE travels to Wentworth Institute on Wednesday for a 5:30 PM Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) matchup.
#GOMONKS
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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.