Box Score STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (4-0) defeated Maine Maritime Academy (1-2), 60-46, in a non-conference women's basketball contest at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore guard Abbie Eastman (Norway, Maine) was 4-7 from three-point range and tallied 12 points, five rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in the victory.
The battle between the in-state rivals featured seven lead changes, but Saint Joseph's was able to pick up the win with the help of a pair of impressive scoring runs, on in each half.
The Mariners started off strong and held a 10-4 advantage 6:40 into the first half, but the Monks proceeded to score 13 unanswered points and owned a 17-10 lead after Eastman capped the outburst with a three-pointer at the 10:28 mark. Sophomore guard Emily Kehoe (Perkinsville, Vt.) extended the hosts' cushion to 10 points (23-13) with a bucket six minutes later.
Unfazed, Maine Maritime jumped back into the contest by hitting on a trio of threes as part of a 15-5 outbreak, which ended on a Mackenzie Vosburgh (Rhinebeck, N.Y.) jumper with the game tied at 28-all and 29 seconds before the break. The Monks closed the opening half on a well-executed play in the paint, as the freshman duo of Cassidy Grover (Gray, Maine/Cheverus) and Norma Waggett (Saugus, Mass.) connected, with the former converting a layup and the latter dishing the assist, on a basket that saw the hosts carry a slim 30-28 edge heading into halftime.
Vosburgh led all first-half scorers with 12 points while Kehoe paced the Monks with nine points in the opening 20 minutes. The Mariners shot an event 50% (6-12) from three-point distance in the first half.
The advantage changed hands on four occasions early in the second stanza with the Monks taking the lead for good when Eastman drilled her second trifecta of the afternoon to lift the hosts to a 35-34 edge with 17:49 remaining. Mariners junior guard Mary Badeen (Newport, Maine) kept the score close with a three to cut her team's deficit to 42-38 at the 15:01 mark, but the visitors failed to convert a field goal attempt for nearly nine minutes, a span during which the Monks rattled off 12 unanswered points to assume control of the contest.
Overall, Saint Joseph's shot 41.7% (25-60) from the floor, 26.1% (6-23) from three-point range, and 40% (4-10) from the free throw line while Maine Maritime countered by shooting 30.8% (16-52) from the field, 42.1% (8-19) from downtown, and 60% (6-10) from the FT line on the afternoon.
The Monks scored 18 points off 22 Maine Maritime turnovers and held advantages in rebounds (41-37), assists (14-10) and bench points (15-0) in the victory.
For Saint Joseph's, junior center Morgan Cahill (Yarmouth, Maine) totaled 12 points and eight rebounds, Kehoe added 12 points and five caroms, senior guard Sarah Assante (Standish, Maine) contributed nine points, three steals and a pair of caroms, and Waggett chipped in with six points, six rebounds, and three assists.
For Maine Maritime, Vosburgh scored a game-high 15 points with seven boards, Badeen recorded 13 points and five caroms, and sophomore guard Kristi Willey (Topsham, Maine) added eight points and six rebounds in a losing effort.
Saint Joseph's returns to action Monday with a non-conference contest at home versus Maine-Farmington, starting at 5:30 PM. Maine Maritime is off until Tuesday, December 2nd when the Mariners travel to Maine-Farmington for a 5:30 PM tip-off.
GAME NOTES
Saint Joseph's improves to 7-4 all-time versus Maine Maritime with today's victory…the Monks have now defeated the Mariners in four-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2010-11 campaign…St. Joe's is off to a 4-0 start for the first time since the 2001-02 season and the eighth time in the 38-year history of the program…freshman Brianne Maloney (South Portland, Maine) made her collegiate debut this afternoon and tallied two points and three rebounds in seven minutes on the court.
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
