STANDISH, Maine – #2 Saint Joseph's College (17-10) pulled away in the second half to defeat #6 Albertus Magnus College (9-18), 80-53, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Basketball Tournament semifinal on Mike McDevitt Court at the Harold Alfond Center on Friday night.

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:

With the victory, Saint Joseph's advances to the GNAC Championship game for the 11th time in the last 14 seasons and will play at top-seeded Emmanuel College in the title game on Sunday at 1:00 PM. The Saints defeated #4 Norwich University, 71-57, in the other semifinal on Friday evening.

For Albertus Magnus, the loss brings an end to the 2025-26 season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Monks led 18-15 after a competitive first quarter before tightening up defensively in the second. After Albertus trimmed the deficit to 23-21 with 7:14 left in the half, Saint Joseph's responded with a 10-0 run to build a 31-21 advantage by the 2:50 mark and carried that margin into halftime.

Saint Joseph's then broke the game open in the third quarter. The Monks used a 13-0 burst over a three-minute stretch to extend the lead from 33-23 to 46-23, outscored the Falcons 23-13 in the period, and finished the night with a 26-point fourth quarter to complete the 27-point win.

STATS OF THE GAME:

Saint Joseph's controlled the game with a dominant 53-27 rebounding edge, including a 20-10 advantage on the offensive glass, and turned that work into 17 second-chance points. The Monks also held a 19-3 fast-break scoring advantage, scored 21 bench points, and shot 75.9% (22-29) at the free-throw line. Albertus was paced almost entirely by freshman guard Ariellys Velez (Watertown, Conn.), who accounted for 32 of the Falcons' 53 points.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Madison Lebel (Sr., Hermon, Maine): 15 points, 25 rebounds (one shy of the program record, held by Margaret (O'Brion) McDevitt '82), 2 assists, 2 blocks
• Logan Brown (Sr., Brunswick, Maine): 14 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists
• Elisabeth Stapelfeld (Sr., Brookline, N.H.): 13 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists
• Abby Dube (Jr., Groveland, Mass.): 10 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
• Hayden Madore (So., Hallowell, Maine): 9 points, 3 rebounds

LEADERS – ALBERTUS MAGNUS:

• Ariellys Velez: game-high 32 points, 8 rebounds
• Adriana DeBernardo (Jr., Stratford, Conn.): 9 points, 6 rebounds

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 24-1 all-time versus Albertus Magnus College and has now defeated the Falcons in five consecutive meetings. The Monks are now 30-2 in home playoff games since joining the GNAC in 2008.