No. 2 Saints Head to Familiar Foe, No.1 Monks for GNAC Title Game

BOSTON, Mass. – With a 66-55 victory in Friday's Great Northeast Athletic Conference Semifinal against Albertus Mangus, the No. 2 North-seeded Emmanuel Saints women's basketball program is headed for their fourth consecutive Conference Championship Game, where familiar foe and the No. 1 North-seeded Saint Joseph's College (ME) Monks awaits on Sunday, Feb. 26, at 1:00 p.m. at the Harold Alfond Center and Mike McDevitt Court.

Six of the last seven GNAC Women's Basketball Championship games have been contested between the Saints and Monks, with 2018 being the lone exception. SJC defeated Emmanuel in 2016 and 2017 while the Saints have won the last three title-game meetings in 2019, 2020, and 2022.

SEASON AT A GLANCE:

Emmanuel:

• The Saints enter the GNAC Championship ranked first in the GNAC and second in the nation among D-III programs in rebounding margin, holding a +17.3 margin over opponents.
• This year's team currently sits second in the GNAC while ranking seventh in the nation in assists per game (17.9 apg) and leads the GNAC while ranking 23^rd in the country in steals (13.2 spg).
• EC leads the GNAC in scoring offense, averaging 77.3 ppg which also ranks 11^th in the country.
• Since the end of the first semester, Emmanuel has posted a 16-1 record and enters the Championship Game on an 11-game winning streak.

Saint Joseph's College:

• The Monks match the Saints with several top-15 national rankings in a number of statistical areas. SJC leads the GNAC and is fifth in Division III in three-point percentage, shooting at a 36.5 percent clip from distance.
• Saint Joseph's ranks just ahead of Emmanuel in assists per game, entering Sunday's play sixth in the country with 18.1 APG.
• SJC is one of Division III's best at the foul line, shooting an efficient 76.0 percent at the line, good for eighth-best in the country.
• The Monks are 12-2 at Mike McDevitt Court this season, including a perfect 11-0 against GNAC opponents, including playoffs, and including an 83-67 win over Emmanuel in mid-January.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Emmanuel:

• Sophomore Yannie Chan (Hong Kong, China) leads the GNAC in assists per game (5.4 apg), ranking 18^th nationally in the category, while also averaging 14.4 points a night for the Saints. In two games against SJC this season, the versatile guard is averaging 24.5 points, 7.0 assists, and 6.5 rebounds per game.
• Junior sharpshooter Olivia Matela (Swampscott, Mass.) is enjoying her most efficient offensive season at the collegiate level averaging 14.0 points while shooting at a 37.2 percent clip from downtown, ranking second in the conference among shooters with more than 75 attempts from long range.
• Sophomore forward Desiree Robinson (New Haven, Conn.) keys the Saints defensive unit averaging a team-high 7.5 rebounds per game, and has 12 games this year with nine+ boards.

Saint Joseph's College:

• Junior Hannah Talon (Windham, Maine) leads the Monks in scoring, averaging 14.5 points per game while also shooting a team-best 55.4 percent from the field. Talon adds 81.0 percent shooting from the foul line, making her one of four Monks to shoot at least 80 percent at the line.
• Fellow junior Angelica Hurley (Groveland, Mass.) stuffs the stat sheet for SJC, averaging 11.8 points, 7.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and 2.0 steals per game. Hurley does damage from three-point distance, averaging 2.0 made threes per game.
• First-year Elisabeth Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) rounds out the Monks that average double-digit points, scoring 10.3 points per game.

COACHES' CORNER:

Andy Yosinoff - Emmanuel
In his 46^th season with Emmanuel, Coach Yosinoff became just the 10^th coach in NCAA Women's Basketball History to reach 900 career wins, coming in Friday's semifinal victory at Albertus. Yosinoff is no stranger to the GNAC Championship Game, making his 19^th appearance in the Title Game on Sunday. In total, Yosinoff is 900-296 for his career, including 311-18 in regular season GNAC play.

Mike McDevitt – Saint Joseph's College
A recent electee into the Maine Basketball Hall of Fame, McDevitt's career accolades are certainly impressive. McDevitt ranks 11^th among Division III active coaches in victories and 18^th in winning percentage. Now in his 31^st season at SJC, McDevitt has led the Monks to 21 separate 20-win seasons. For his career, McDevitt is 622-211, a four-time GNAC Champion as head coach, and a four-time GNAC Coach of the Year

THE LAST TIME WE MET:
Just two weeks ago, on Feb. 11, the Saints picked up a 73-69 victory over the Monks on Yosinoff Court, a win that put EC and SJC into a tie at the top of the GNAC North Division and avenged an earlier-season loss at Saint Joseph's on Jan. 17.

Chan finished with a game-high 26 points, including the de facto game-winning three-pointer with 1:15 remaining in the fourth quarter. Junior Shakirah Ketant (Easton, Mass.) added 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting. Monks junior Nina Howe (York, Maine) led the team with 19 points in the defeat.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
The Saints and Monks are no strangers to each other, meeting up for their 32^nd all-time game, including a seventh time in the GNAC Championship. Emmanuel is 23-8 in the previous 31 meetings and holds a 4-2 record in the GNAC Title Game.

POSTSEASON HISTORY:
Emmanuel is no stranger to the GNAC tournament making its 27^th consecutive appearance in the field and owns a 67-8 all-time record for a league-best 18 titles. EC has won three straight conference championships and appeared in seven of the last eight title games.

Saint Joseph's College has appeared in 14 of the last 15 conference tournaments, including four GNAC Championship crowns. Since joining the GNAC in 2007, Mike McDevitt Court has been one of the most difficult places to play, as the Monks hold a 22-1 record at home in the postseason.

COVERAGE
Sunday's GNAC Championship Game will be streamed live on the web. To tune into the live action, click on one of the links below:

LIVE VIDEO
LIVE STATS

2023 GNAC WBB TOURNEY SCHEDULE
Tuesday, February 21 – QUARTERFINALS
GAME 1: #4S JWU at #1N Saint Joseph's Maine – (80-51, SJM)
GAME 2: #3N Rivier at #2S Regis – (78-58, RIV)
GAME 3: #3S St. Joseph CT at #2N Emmanuel – (70-67, EMM in OT)
GAME 4: #4N Colby-Sawyer at #1S Albertus Magnus – (75-60, ALB)

Friday, February 24 - SEMIFINALS
GAME 5: #3N Rivier at #1N Saint Joseph's Maine – (83-55, SJC)
GAME 6: #2N Emmanuel at #1S Albertus Magnus – (66-55, EMM)

Sunday, February 26 - CHAMPIONSHIP
GAME 7: #2N Emmanuel at #1N Saint Joseph's Maine – 1:00 PM