Charity Stripe Success Propels Monks Past Rams

STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph’s (13-6, 7-0 GNAC) held off Suffolk University (13-6, 6-2 GNAC), 73-60, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women’s basketball contest at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon. Monks sophomore forward Lindsay Moore (Barrington, N.H.) netted a game-high 22 points and pulled down six rebounds in the weighty conference win.
St. Joe’s held the lead from wire to wire but the visiting Rams remained within striking distance for most of the contest and trailed by just one point on several occasions late in the second stanza. Free throws proved to be the difference as the Monks made all 17 attempts from the charity stripe, including a 12-12 effort in the game’s final three minutes.
Saint Joseph’s came out firing and led 8-2 after senior forward Allie Parent (Camden, Maine) converted a layup at the 2:51 into the first half. Suffolk maintained pace and would make it a two-point game (25-23) when junior guard Jacqueline Vienneau (Salem, N.H.) capped a 7-2 Rams run with a three-pointer at the 8:13 mark.
The Monks then rattled off a 15-4 outburst, capped by a layup from freshman guard Sarah Assante (Standish, Maine) with 3:01 left in the first, to gain a 40-29 cushion. The Rams countered with a 7-2 burst to close out the half and trailed by eight (42-34) heading into intermission.
Suffolk sophomore forward Jennifer Ruys (Wallingford, Conn.) led all first-half scorers with 13 points while Moore registered 10 and SJC freshman guard Nicolette Kapothanasis (Westbrook, Maine/Portland) netted eight points coming off the bench in the opening frame.
St. Joe’s shot 50% from the field, 28.6% from three-point distance, and 100% from the free throw line in the first half while Suffolk shot 42.9% from the floor, 66.7% from downtown, and 75% from the FT line before the break.
Saint Joseph’s would hold double-digit leads on a handful of occasions but did not pull away until late in the second stanza. The Rams never led but certainly made the Monks uneasy down the stretch as the visitors reduced an 11-point deficit down to just one point (59-58) with a 12-2 run that ceased with a pair of freebies from senior forward Meghan Black (Roslindale, Mass.) at the 5:01 mark.
Moore and Suffolk senior forward Mary Garon (Auburn, N.H.) traded layups over the subsequent two minutes as the Monks’ one-point lead stood with 3:19 to go. Forced to foul, the Rams tagged Moore, junior guard Danyelle Shufelt (Sutton, Vt.) and senior guard Megan McDevitt (Cumberland, Maine) two times apiece and the trio combined to make all 12 shots from the line to account for the same number of unanswered points over the final three minutes of play. Meanwhile, Suffolk missed all six of its field goal attempts in the closing minutes.
For the Monks, Geel registered a double-double with 11 points and 11 boards and added five blocked shots, McDevitt netted 13 and was 5-5 from the FT line, and Shufelt tallied 10 points and five caroms. Kapothanasis ended the contest with eight points, sophomore guard Mackenzie Dufour (Augusta, Maine) posted five rebounds, four steals and three assists, and Parent chipped in seven points and a pair of dimes in the victory.
Ruys paced the Rams’ offense with 17 points and Vienneau recorded a fine performance with 14 points, seven boards and six assists.
Overall, Saint Joseph’s shot 42.2% (27-64) from the floor, 18.2% (2-9) from beyond the arc, and 100% (17-17) from the FT line. Suffolk shot 35% (21-60) from the field, 41.2% (7-17) from downtown, and 68.8% (11-16) from the line in a losing effort.
With the victory Saint Joseph’s improves to 6-4 in the history of the series with Suffolk University. The Rams tipped the Monks in both meetings last season, including a 71-62 win in a GNAC Tournament semifinal that effectively ended the 2010-11 campaign. The Monks have not scored more than 73 points versus the Rams in the 10-game matchup but did match today’s total in a 73-54 triumph over Suffolk on November 20th, 1998 – the first-ever meeting between the programs.