STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (5-0) shook off a sluggish start to defeat Husson University (5-1), 61-31, in NCAA DIII Women's Basketball action at the Harold Alfond Center on Friday evening.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Monks trailed by a 10-8 score after shooting just 17.6% (3-17) in the first quarter but took the lead for good – as it played out – when junior guard Kaleigh Walsh (Windham, N.H.) hit a three-pointer 1:27 into the second stanza.

About two minutes later Husson freshman guard Trinity Montigny (Ellsworth, Maine) connected for a three-pointer of her own to cut her team's deficit to 16-15 with 6:47 before the break. St. Joe's proceeded to net 15 unanswered points – including eight from guard Cassandra Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) – to secure a 31-15 cushion with 1:37 left in the second period. Husson junior guard Vanessa Duarte (Hawthorne, N.Y.) snapped the Eagles' drought with two free throws in the quarter's final seconds to make it a 31-17 game heading into intermission.

Saint Joseph's continued to pad the lead and attained a 20-point advantage when Stapelfeld hit a pair of freebies with three minutes on the third-quarter clock. The Monks went on to claim a game-high 32-point (61-29) lead when freshman guard Hannah Talon (Windham, Maine) made a three-pointer with 2:01 remaining in the contest.

SENIOR MOMENT:

Tonight's contest was the last home game for senior forward Jordan Jabar (Waterville, Maine), a three-year starter for the Monks who played in 90 games since arriving in Standish in the fall of 2017. During her four years at St. Joe's the 2021 team co-captain helped the Royal Blue post an incredible 80-13 (.860) overall record, including a 37-2 (.949) mark in conference play, with three GNAC Tournament appearances, two NCAA Tournament berths, and one Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship.

STATS OF THE GAME:

The Monks held a 58-34 rebounds advantage with a 25-7 lead in second-chance points…St. Joe's shot 34.3% (23-67) from the field while Husson posted a 16.4% (9-55) clip from the floor.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Stapelfeld paced the Monks with 16 points and added three rebounds and a pair of steals
• Junior guard Alyson Fillion (Bedford, N.H.) tallied 10 points, three boards, and four assists
• Jabar pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds – six on both ends of the court – with six points, four assists, and three blocked shots
• Freshman Angelica Hurley (Groverland, Mass.) added eight points and four caroms
• Sophomore Jayne Howe (Pembroke, Mass.) recorded six points, six rebounds, and two assists
• Walsh chipped in with five points and six boards

LEADERS – HUSSON:

• Senior Emma Alley (Millinocket, Maine) scored eight points with four steals and three rebounds
• Duarte netted seven points with two boards, two assists, and a pair of steals
• Montigny added six points and four rebounds

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the triumph, Saint Joseph's improves to 43-32 in the history of the series with Husson University and has now defeated the Eagles in four-consecutive meetings.

NEXT!

In what will be the 2021 finale for both teams, the Monks and Eagles will face off again at 1:00 PM on Sunday in Bangor.

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