STANDISH, Maine - #3 Saint Joseph's College (21-4) surged past #6 Rivier University (14-12), 88-70, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball tournament quarterfinal at Mike McDevitt Court on Wednesday evening.

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:

With the win, Saint Joseph's advances to the semifinal round for the sixth-consecutive season and will play at #2 Albertus Magnus College on Saturday at 3:00 PM. The Falcons toppled #7 Elms College, 93-57, in other quarterfinal action this evening.

For Rivier, tonight's loss signals the end of the 2021-22 season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Monks trailed after the first quarter, as the Raiders erased a 14-9 deficit with a 12-4 run in the final three minutes of the opening frame to secure a 21-18 lead.

Saint Joseph's opened the second stanza with eight unanswered points as part of a 28-4 outburst, as junior forward Jayne Howe (Pembroke, Mass.) capped the run with a layup and the hosts on top, 46-25, with 2:01 before the break. The Monks shot the lights out from the floor (12-17), beyond the arc (4-5), and the FT line (6-7) in the second period and carried a 52-31 advantage into intermission.

Conversely, the Raiders shot just 18.8% (3-16) overall and were outscored by a 34-10 margin in the second quarter.

With 8:38 left in the third quarter, senior guard Cassandra Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) made a layup to lift her team to a game-high 23-point (56-33) cushion, but the Raiders cut the SJC lead down to 12 points with a 15-4 run, which was closed out by a jumper from sophomore guard Lyric Grumblatt (Manchester, N.H.) with 4:21 left in the penultimate period and SJC on top, 60-48.

The Raiders would get no closer to the lead however, as the Monks regained the 23-point advantage on the heels of a 17-6 surge with senior guard Grace Philippon (Glenburn, Maine) converting a layup to lift SJC to a 77-54 lead with 8:58 remaining. Saint Joseph's led by at least 14 points for the rest of the contest.

STATS OF THE GAME:

Saint Joseph's shot 50.7% (35-69) from the floor and held a 44-26 lead in points in the paint…Rivier shot 37.9% (25-66) from the field.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Stapelfeld netted 24 points with seven rebounds and four assists
• Howe scored 17 points with four boards, five assists, three steals, and two blocked shots
• Philippon posted a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds
• Senior forward Kaleigh Walsh (Windham, N.H.) added 15 points, four caroms, three assists, and two steals

LEADERS – RIVIER:

• Grumblatt scored a game-high 27 points with four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and a pair of blocked shots
• Sophomore guard Hannah Muchemore (Nashua, N.H.) chipped in with 13 points, six rebounds, four assists, and two steals

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