Lasell Women’s Basketball falls to Saint Joseph’s (Maine)

STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College raced past Lasell College, 69-42, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball contest Tuesday evening at the Harold Alfond Center.

With the victory, the Monks (23-1, 15-0 GNAC) extend their program-record winning streak to 22 games and tie Emmanuel College for the longest win streak in GNAC women's basketball history. Emmanuel strung together 22-consecutive victories during the 2000-01 campaign, a season during which the Saints advanced all the way to the NCAA Tournament Final Four.

Junior Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) tallied 19 points, five rebounds, five assists, and three steals to lead the Monks. Junior Julia Champagne (Brunswick, Maine) posted her sixth career double-double with 14 points and 11 boards. Junior Hannah Marks (Waldoboro, Maine) added 15 points while junior Emily Benway (Rochester, N.H.) chipped in with 11 points and eight rebounds.

Senior Brianna Hoffman (Milford, N.H.) led the Lasers with 16 points, three rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Classmate Morgan Church (New London, N.H.) notched a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds while dishing out three assists and sophomore Dana Ross (East Haven, Conn.) chipped in with seven points and a game-high 12 boards, her fourth straight double-digit rebound effort and 11th of the season.

Lasell came out strong, taking an 11-5 lead late in the first quarter after a pair of three-pointers by Hoffman and five points from Ross, but the Monks rallied to tie the game at 11 apiece at the end of the first frame. An efficient three-point shooting performance in the second stanza essentially sealed the victory for the hosts, as Saint Joseph's made seven of 10 attempts from beyond the arc - including four in the closing 90 seconds - while outscoring Lasell by a 24-9 margin en route to holding a 37-22 cushion going into intermission.

St. Joe's held a 52-36 lead after a back-and-forth third period, but put the game away by starting the fourth quarter with 11 unanswered points. The Monks proceeded to hold a game-high 28-point (67-39) advantage after Champagne made a layup with 1:50 remaining.

Saint Joseph's closes out the regular season docket with a home game versus GNAC-rival Norwich University Saturday at 1:00 p.m. Lasell plays a non-conference encounter Thursday at Rhode Island College at 7:00 p.m. before winding up the campaign Saturday in a GNAC meeting at Mount Ida College.

(Courtesy of Saint Joseph's Athletic Communications)

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