STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (8-6, 1-0 GNAC) rallied from a four-point halftime deficit to defeat Norwich University (3-9, 0-1 GNAC), 62-35, in what was the 2020 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball opener for both programs at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Cadets increased their lead to 24-19 early in the third quarter but could not solve the Monks' full-court press and fell behind quickly as a result. Thanks in large part to the effective press, Saint Joseph's mounted a 29-3 run spanning eight minutes and held a 48-27 cushion after senior guard Julia Quinn (Fryeburg, Maine) notched a three-point play with 8:05 remaining.

The Monks' defensive efforts in the second half resulted in 14 Norwich turnovers and held the Cadets to a 4-for-23 shooting performance in the third and fourth frames combined.

STATS OF THE GAME:

The Monks scored 24 points off 28 Cadet turnovers overall and held a 32-7 lead in bench points in the victory…St. Joe's outscored Norwich by a 44-13 margin after the break.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Junior guard Cassandra Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) netted 16 points with five assists, five steals, and a pair of rebounds
• Sophomore guard Kaleigh Walsh (Windham, N.H.) came off the bench to score 11 points with five boards, two assists, and a pair of steals in 19 minutes
• Freshman Bri Jordan (Gray, Maine) added nine points and six caroms
• Junior forward Jordan Jabar (Waterville, Maine) chipped in with eight points, six rebounds, and three steals and was 4-for-4 from the floor
• Sophomore guard Grace Philippon (Glenburn, Maine) contributed with eight points, rive rebounds, and two assists

LEADERS – NORWICH:

• Junior guard Riley Bennett (Hopkinton, N.H.) led the Cadets with 15 points and added four rebounds
• Senior forward KristieAnn DeSilvio (Chelmsford, Mass.) pulled down 10 rebounds with three points
• Junior guard Kailynne Frederick (Adams, Mass.) hauled in a game-high 11 boards
• Junior guard Julia Vigorito (Malden, Mass.) tallied eight points and five rebounds, including four on the offensive glass

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the win Saint Joseph's improves to 13-6 all-time versus Norwich University and has now defeated the Cadets in seven-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2014-15 campaign.

NEXT!

The Monks play at Colby-Sawyer College in GNAC action on Wednesday at 7:30 PM.

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