NORTHFIELD, Vt. - #8/11 Saint Joseph's College (24-0, 11-0 GNAC) overcame a sluggish start to defeat Norwich University (8-15, 3-8 GNAC), 72-49, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball contest on Thursday night.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Monks opened play with five unanswered points, but the Cadets quickly turned the tide in their favor with a 14-2 run and capped the first quarter leading 22-14 after shooting 56.3% (9-16) in the opening 10 minutes.

After shooting just 26.7% (4-15) in the first frame, Saint Joseph's came to life and outscored Norwich by a 28-5 score in the second. With the score tied 27-27 and 6:30 left in the quarter, the Monks mounted a 15-0 run and held a 42-27 cushion heading into intermission.

St. Joe's led by 12 (50-38) after a third quarter that saw the conference counterparts combine to score just 19 points and put the game away in the fourth period, as seven different SJC players scored to account for the 22-11 final frame output and 72-49 final.

STATS OF THE GAME:

Saint Joseph's scored 26 points off 21 Norwich turnovers…The Cadets netted just eight points off 11 SJC turnovers…The Monks went 15-for-20 from the FT line while the Cadets went to the line just four times with three makes.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Senior guard Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) tallied 15 points, seven rebounds, three assists, and three steals
• Senior guard Hannah Marks (Waldoboro, Maine) netted 15 points with six rebounds and a pair of blocked shots
• Sophomore guard Jordan Jabar (Waterville, Maine) added 11 points, four assists, and three boards
• Senior guard Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) chipped in with 11 points, three assists, and a pair of steals
• Senior forward Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) pulled down 11 caroms and scored eight points

LEADERS – NORWICH:

• Mary Casamassa (Wexford, Pa.) scored 13 points with six rebounds and three assists
• Riley Bennett (Hopkinton, N.H.) added 13 points, three boards, and two assists
• Emily Oliver (Sagamore Hills, Ohio) pulled down six rebounds and handed out seven assists

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Saint Joseph's is now 21-7 all-time versus Norwich University and has now defeated the Cadets in six-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2015-16 season.

St. Joe's has won 29-consecutive regular-season contests versus conference opponents.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's will host Lasell College in the 2018-19 regular-season finale on Saturday. Tip-off is slated for 1:00 PM.

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