LOS ANGELES, Calif. – Occidental College (5-4) topped Saint Joseph's College (5-7), 70-58, in a non-conference women's basketball matchup on Wednesday afternoon. Senior forward Madison Lebel (Hermon, Maine) paced the Monks with a double-double of 20 points and 13 rebounds.

The contest capped a two-game West Coast swing for Saint Joseph's, which returns to Standish to open conference play at home against Mitchell College on Saturday, January 10 at 1:00 PM.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Saint Joseph's carried a 34–27 lead into halftime, but Occidental flipped the script in the third quarter. The Tigers outscored the Monks 21–7 in the period, converting nine SJC turnovers into 11 points to seize control.

That momentum snowballed into a decisive 29–4 run overall, as Occidental closed the third quarter with 15 straight points, then opened the fourth on a 14–4 burst to build a game-high 17-point cushion (62–45) with 4:04 remaining.

STATS OF THE GAME:

Saint Joseph's held the edge in shooting percentages across the board and knocked down 50.0% (8-of-16) from three-point range, but could not overcome issues with ball security, as Occidental converted 25 SJC turnovers into 33 points.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Madison Lebel: 20 points (4-4 3PT), 13 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block
• Hayden Madore (So., Hallowell, Maine): 16 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists
• Emily Adams (Fr., Bangor, Maine): 10 points (2-2 3PT), 1 block
• Elisabeth Stapelfeld (Sr., Brookline, N.H.): 8 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists

LEADERS – OCCIDENTAL:

• Emily Ko: 21 points (5-9 3PT), 6 assists, 4 steals
• Ainsley Shelsta: 14 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 1 block
• Dara Tokeshi: 11 points, 4 assists
• Paige Yasukochi: 9 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Saint Joseph's falls to 1-3 all-time versus Occidental College with today's setback. The Monks topped the Tigers by a 69-50 score in the last meeting between the two teams (12/30/2018).

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's kicks off Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play on Saturday, January 10th with a 1:00 PM home game versus Mitchell College.