STANDISH, Maine – With the help of a dominant fourth quarter, Saint Joseph's College (10-6, 3-0 GNAC) defeated Johnson & Wales University (9-8, 1-2 GNAC), 70-53, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball contest at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Monks trailed by a 44-38 margin early the third quarter but rallied with eight unanswered points and held a 46-44 lead after sophomore Grace Philippon (Glenburn, Maine) capped the run with a three-pointer with 1:45 left in the penultimate period.

The conference rivals swapped the lead twice during the closing minutes of the third frame, but the hosts took the final swing with a 20-4 run that began late in the third and ended when senior Lexi L'Heureux-Carland (Bridgton, Maine) hit a layup to make it a 66-50 game with 1:28 remaining.

STATS OF THE GAME:

A decisive fourth quarter proved to be the difference, as Saint Joseph's outscored Johnson & Wales by a 19-6 gap in the final frame while shooting 54.5% (6-11) from the floor and going 6-for-6 from the free-throw line…The Wildcats made just two of 14 attempts from the floor – including an 0-for-6 effort from three-point land – in the last 10 minutes of action.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Sophomore guard Alyson Fillion (Bedford, N.H.) netted 21 points with four rebounds and was 8-for-13 from the field
• Philippon came off the bench to score 16 points and pull down nine rebounds in 19 minutes of play – she was 4-for-5 from the floor and 6-for-6 from the FT line on the afternoon
• Sophomore Kaleigh Walsh (Windham, Maine) added six points, six rebounds, and two assists
• L'Heureux-Carland chipped in with seven points
• Freshman Bri Jordan (Gray, Maine) scored five points with four rebounds
• Freshman Jayne Howe (Pembroke, Mass.) contributed with five points and five rebounds in 11 minutes

LEADERS – JOHNSON & WALES:

• Senior guard Britney Gallagher (New City, N.Y.) scored a game-high 28 points and was 10-for-24 from the floor and 6-for-6 from the FT line
• Senior guard Tiondra Hands (Boynton Beach, Fla.) netted 11 points with four assists, three boards, and three steals
• Freshman center Mia James (Kauai, Hawaii) added six points and 10 rebounds

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Saint Joseph's has now defeated Johnson & Wales University in seven-consecutive meetings and improves to 13-6 all-time versus the Wildcats.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's will play at Albertus Magnus College next Saturday in a GNAC contest slated to begin at 1:00 PM.

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