Before the Break: Before the holiday break, the Falcons fell to Manhattanville, 80-67, on the road. In the contest, Albertus Magnus saw its five-game non-conference winning streak come to an end. During the team's five-game winning streak, Albertus Magnus shot over 34 percent (36-105) from beyond the arc and forced over 23 turnovers per tilt. In the loss against the Valiants, the team knocked down just 1-of-11 shots from three-point range and forced 16 turnovers.
This Week: Albertus Magnus opens conference play with a pair of Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) clashes. The Falcons will open the calendar year and their league slate on Tuesday with a home tilt against reigning GNAC Champion Johnson & Wales before traveling to the Pine Tree State to square off with Saint Joseph's (Maine) on Saturday.
Match-up:
Albertus Magnus (6-4, 0-0) vs. Johnson & Wales (9-1, 0-0)
Tuesday, January 5, 2016 at 7:00 pm
The Nest inside the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center
New Haven, Conn.
Live Stats: Click here (All links will become active at the start of the contest)
Live Video: Click here
Series History: Albertus Magnus leads the all-time series 10-9 dating back to the first-ever meeting between the two foes in 1992. The Wildcats have had the advantage of late, winning two straight and nine of 10 against the Falcons. JWU swept the season series last winter.
Scouting Johnson & Wales: The Wildcats have won back-to-back games and are coming off a 70-66 home win versus Nichols on Saturday. As a team, JWU averages over 71 points per game and is shooting better than 40 percent from the field. Johnson & Wales pulls down more than 47 rebounds a game and dish out 17 assists. Three Wildcats average double figures, led by Sophomore Ashley Thompson with 17.5 points per game. Thompson also leads the team in field goal percentage (49.3), field goals per game (7.4) and blocks per tilt (2.1).
Match-up:
Albertus Magnus (6-4, 0-0) at Saint Joseph's (Maine) (8-3, 0-0)
Saturday, January 9, 2016 at 1:00 pm
Harold Alfond Center
Standish, Maine
Live Stats: Click here
Live Video: Click here
Series History: The Monks lead the all-time series 10-0. Dating back to the first meeting between the two in 1999, SJC has won eight of the 10 games by double digits. In last year's meeting, the Falcons fell, 72-61, despite having three players score in double figures.
Scouting Saint Joseph's: The Monks are coming off a 65-58 setback on the road against Regis in non-conference action last Saturday. At home this season, SJC is 2-0, having netted victories against Husson and Southern Maine. As a team, they average over 65 points per tilt and are shooting just 36 percent from the field. The Monks have outrebounded the opposition, 457-439, this winter. Morgan Cahill and Kelsi McNamara pace the Saint Joseph's offensive attack. Both players average better than 15 points per game, while Cahill leads the team in blocks and rebounds. McNamara has connecting on a team-high 30 three-point field goals and is shooting over 45 percent from beyond the arc.
Albertus Notes:
- Sophomore forward Olivia Bolden was named the GNAC Corvais Player of the Week on Monday afternoon. She scored a game-high 32 points and grabbed 11 rebounds in an 80-67 setback at Manhattanville for the Falcons prior to the holiday break. In the contest, she hit 10-of-12 from the charity stripe and added one steal, one assist and one blocked shot. The 5-10 post player knocked down 11-of-18 from the field in 39 minutes of action.
- The Falcons are averaging 73 points per game this season and shooting just under 38 percent from the field, including 30.3 percent from three-point range.
- In their six wins, the Falcons have hit a combined 43 three-pointers. In their four losses, the team hit just four. Junior transfer Liz Falcigno has hit a team-high 22 treys, while Olivia Sutherland has added eight and both Angelina Piccirillo and Deja Ward have knocked down seven apiece.
- Falcigno is second on the team with over 14 points per game and is shooting a team-best 44.5 percent from the field this year. She has been a force on the defensive end as well this winter, averaging more than three steals per contest.
