STRONG SECOND HALF PROPELS SAINTS TO 55-47 WIN OVER MONKS

STANDISH, Me. – Emmanuel College (16-5, 8-0 GNAC) defeated Saint Joseph's College (12-9, 6-3 GNAC), 55-47, in a rematch of the 2012 GNAC Women's Basketball Championship at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon. Senior forward Fiona O'Dwyer (Stamford, Conn.) recorded a double-double in the win for the Saints.  Freshman center Morgan Cahill (Yarmouth, Maine) scored a game-high 18 points in a losing effort.

The Monks held a lead over the Saints for almost the entire first half and led by as many as 10 points early in the second stanza, but Emmanuel rallied with a 22-5 run midway through the latter frame en route to claiming the program's 37th-consecutive conference victory.

Two fundamental aspects of the game played significant roles in the result, as Emmanuel held a 21-8 lead in second-chance points and Saint Joseph's posted a modest 12-20 effort from the free throw line on the afternoon.

Saint Joseph's built a first-half advantage with the help of 10 points off 13 Emmanuel turnovers and 11 bench points over the opening 20 minutes of play. Cahill went 5-7 from the floor and paced all first-half scorers with 10 points, while O'Dwyer netted eight for the Saints before the break.

St. Joe's started the second half with a 25-21 advantage and opened the frame with six unanswered points, all from Cahill, to claim the aforementioned game-high cushion. Momentum changed her dress shortly thereafter, as the Monks went just 1-10 from the field and committed 10 turnovers over a nine-minute span. The Saints registered the previously-mentioned 22-5 burst during the same time and – with the help of a 6-6 free-throw effort - proceeded to lead by at least five points for the remainder of the contest.

For the Monks, junior Abby Young (North Yarmouth, Maine) came off the bench to contribute nine points and six assists, junior Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H.) pulled down nine rebounds and scored six points and senior Danyelle Shufelt (Sutton, Vt.) collected four steals and dealt three assists in the loss.

For the Saints, sophomore Jennifer Bujnowski (Salem, N.H.) tallied 15 points and nine caroms, O'Dwyer's double-double consisted of 14 points and 10 boards and freshman Sarah Higgins (Groveland, Mass.) chipped in with six points in the victory.

Overall, Saint Joseph's shot 34% (17-50) from the field, 10% (1-10) from three-point range and 60% (12-20) from the free throw line. Emmanuel countered by shooting 33.9% (21-62) from the floor and 86.7% (13-15) from the stripe while missing all nine attempts from downtown on the afternoon.

With the setback, Saint Joseph's falls to 2-14 in the history of the series with Emmanuel College. The Saints have not suffered a loss to a GNAC foe since falling to Emerson College (70-67) on February 9th, 2010. For the Saints - winners of six-consecutive GNAC Championships and 14 since 1996 overall - the winning margin is the narrowest over a conference opponent this winter and the 55 points scored ranks as a season low against a GNAC foe this season.

Saint Joseph's returns to the hardwood with a non-conference contest at Bridgewater State University at 8:00 PM on Tuesday. Emmanuel plays at Simmons College on Tuesday at 7:00 PM.

- Release courtesy of Saint Joseph's College Sports Information