GNAC WOMEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL

WINTHROP, Mass. – The bracket held true in the 2024 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Women's Basketball Championship Tournament as all four quarterfinal hosts came out victorious on Tuesday (Feb. 20). Those four winners advance to play in the GNAC Semifinals on Thursday, Feb. 22.

No. 1 seed Saint Joseph's (Maine) picked up the win over No. 8 seed Rivier, 74-64, in its quarterfinal matchup while No. 2 seed University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) bested No. 7 seed Regis, 80-68. Meanwhile, No. 3 seed Albertus Magnus earned an 86-67 victory over No. 6 seed New England College and No. 4 seed Emmanuel defeated No. 5 seed Lasell.

In the semifinals on Thursday, the Monks will welcome the Saints at 5:30 p.m., while the Blue Jays host the Falcons at 5 p.m.

The winners of Thursday's semifinal games will determine the matchup for the 2024 GNAC Women's Basketball Championship on Saturday, Feb. 24. The winner of the GNAC Championship game will be named the 2024 GNAC Women's Basketball Champion and earn the league's automatic qualifier into the 2024 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship.

#1 Saint Joseph's (Maine) 74, #8 Rivier 64

Recap courtesy of the Saint Joseph's (Maine) Athletic Communications Department.

STANDISH, Maine – Top-seeded Saint Joseph's College (19-7) outlasted No. 8 seed Rivier University (10-17), 74-64, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) women's basketball tournament quarterfinal on Mike McDevitt Court at the Harold Alfond Center on Tuesday evening.

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:

With the victory, Saint Joseph's advances to the semifinal round of the GNAC Tournament for the eighth year in a row and will host No. 4 Emmanuel College in second round action on Thursday at 5:30 p.m.. Emmanuel topped No. 5 seed Lasell University, 87-62, in other quarterfinal action this evening.

For Rivier, tonight's loss signals the end of the 2023-24 season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Monks looked to put the game away early with a 14-2 en route to holding a 27-9 advantage after senior Hailey Anderson hit a three-pointer nine seconds into the second quarter. The Raiders had other plans however, as the visitors outscored the hosts by a 17-6 margin during the remained of the second stanza to cut their deficit down to 33-26 at the break.

As it played out, Saint Joseph's held the lead for the rest of the game, but Rivier battled until the final buzzer and nearly pushed ahead on several occasions. The first close call came when sophomore Mia Fantauzzi made it a one-point (37-36) game after connecting for a three-pointer, her second trifecta in a 75-second window, with 6:54 left in the third quarter.

After a timeout, the Monks rattled off nine unanswered points to gain some breathing room. Senior guard Nina Howe netted five quick points off a long ball and a layup and sophomore forward Grace Ramsdell made a pair of layups to account for the surge and give the hosts a 46-36 cushion with 4:54 left in the third period.

Leading 54-44 after freshman guard Maddie Russell made a layup with 8:16 remaining in the fourth frame, the Monks saw their cushion slip to just two points (58-56) after senior guard Lyric Grumblatt drilled a three with 3:41 to play.

The conference foes swapped scores during the subsequent 90 seconds and the Monks iced the victory when four different players accounted for a 12-for-12 free-throw shooting performance in the closing 46 seconds.

STATS OF THE GAME:

Saint Joseph's shot 85.0 percent (17-for-20) from the free throw line while Rivier made just 8-of-17 shots for a 47.1 percent clip from the charity strip. The Monks held the lead in rebounds (38-27), points off turnovers (22-16), points in the paint (38-26), and bench points (21-10).

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

·       Howe netted a career-high 20 points while making 6-of-9 shots from the floor and going 6-for-6 from the FT line with five assists, four rebounds, and three assists

·       Ramsdell scored 15 points with seven rebounds and a pair of steals

·       Anderson came off the bench to net 12 points in 21 minutes

·       Senior Angelica Hurley chipped in with 10 rebounds, six assists, three steals, and four points

·       Russell contributed six points, five boards, and two assists

·       Sophomore Madison Lebel scored four points with seven caroms and two steals

LEADERS – RIVIER:

·       Grumblatt netted a game-high 30 points with 13 rebounds, four assists, and two steals

·       Senior Anna Stenger added 13 points and three rebounds

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 24-5 in the history of the series with Rivier University and has now defeated the Raiders in 12-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2016-17 campaign.

#2 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) 80, #7 Regis 68

Recap courtesy of the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) Athletic Communications Department.

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The second-seeded University of Saint Joseph women's basketball team opened the 2024 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament with a convincing 80-68 victory over the seventh-seeded Regis College Pride Tuesday night inside the James A. Calhoun Gymnasium in West Hartford, Conn. With the result, the Blue Jays improve to 23-3 overall on the season and advance to the GNAC Semifinals for the first time since the 2010-11 season. The Pride conclude the 2023-24 campaign at 11-16 overall.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Blue Jays got off to a strong start, taking a quick 4-1 edge after a driving layup from senior forward Jordan Ouellette at the 8:16 mark.
• Regis closed the gap to two, 8-2, but senior guard Amanda Fudge knocked down a spot-up triple, increasing the gap to five, 11-6, with 6:00 on the first-quarter clock.
• The Pride closed the gap back down to three, but a 4-0 USJ run, capped off by a mid-range jumper from senior forward Olivia Heslin, forced the visitors to call a timeout trailing 15-8 with 4:42 left in the first.
• Regis gained momentum out of the break, closing the quarter on a 7-1 run to cut the gap to one, 16-15, entering the second quarter.
• USJ began to pull away to begin the quarter, as senior guard Jelly Frigo and Fudge knocked down three consecutive triples, increasing the Blue Jays' lead to double figures, 25-15, at the 8:14 mark.
• Regis responded with a 7-2 stretch, before the two sides traded buckets, as USJ held a 31-24 edge entering a media timeout with 4:32 left before halftime.
• The Pride would not go away easy, clawing back within six to end the first half, 39-33.
• USJ opened the second half on a 6-2 run, capped off by a layup from Ouellette, to reestablish a 10-point lead, 45-35, at the eight-minute mark.
• The Blue Jays continued to roll, as Fudge and Ouellette made back-to-back tough layups, increasing the gap to 51-37 and forcing a Regis timeout with 5:41 left in the third.
• Regis closed the deficit back to ten, 55-45, after a 6-2 run, but junior forward Janai Oliver sank a pair of free throws, increasing the lead back to 12, 57-45, at the 1:24 mark.
• USJ found its rhythm late in the quarter, closing on a 9-0 stretch, capped off by a fastbreak layup from Slisz to hold a 64-45 edge heading into the fourth.
• The Blue Jays carried the momentum into the fourth, beginning the stanza on a 7-2 stretch and increasing the lead to 71-47 after a pull-up jumper by Slisz with 8:07 remaining.
• The Pride tried to mount a late comeback, pulling back within 12, 78-66, but the deficit ultimately proved too much, as USJ advanced to the GNAC Semifinals with an 80-68 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Slisz and Ouellette paced the Blue Jays with 16 points each.
• Fudge and Verboven joined them in double figures, dropping 14 points each.
• Ouellette hauled in a team-high 10 rebounds, recording her 10th double-double of the season.
• Slisz dished out a career-high eight assists on the night.
• Ouellette led the team with three steals.
• Heslin was a force in the post, swatting a career-high six shots.
• The Blue Jays outshot the Pride, 48.4 percent (31-of-64) to 34.6 percent (27-of-78) from the field.
• The Pride however were more successful from beyond the arc, shooting at a 50.0 percent clip (6-of-12), compared to USJ's 33.3 percent (4-of-12).
• Regis narrowly outrebounded USJ, 46-45. 

#3 Albertus Magnus 86, #6 New England College 67

Recap courtesy of Albertus Magnus Athletic Communications Department.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Caitlyn Scott scored a game-high 31 points as the Albertus Magnus College women's basketball team advanced to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) semifinals after defeating the New England College Pilgrims, 86-67 on Tuesday evening in The Nest.

Scott was one of four players in double figures for the No. 3 seeded Falcons as Diamond White scored 20, Amanda Zdru scored 13, and Jakara Murray-Leach scored 11.  Natasha Rivera had a team-high seven rebounds, to go with three assists, three steals and four points. 

It was the second time the teams met in the last three days, as Albertus defeated the sixth-seeded Pilgrims in the regular season finale on Feb. 17.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Falcons scored the first five points of the game, including a three from Scott at the 9:02 mark. The teams tied four more times until the Pilgrims took their first lead at 13-11 with 1:53 left in the first. 
• NEC would take a 17-14 lead with 18 seconds left, but Scott hit an off-balance three-pointer at the buzzer to tie the game at 17-17 after the first.
• Scott scored the first six points for the Falcons in the second quarter, staking the Falcons to a 23-17 lead, but NEC scored the next seven to go up by one. From there, it was all Albertus, as the Falcons outscored the Pilgrims, 21-5 the rest of the way to take a 44-29 lead at the half. Scott scored 11 of her points in the quarter, while White scored nine, going a perfect 2-for-2 from the field and 5-for-5 from the free-throw line.
• Scott once again got off to a hot start in the third, scoring the first nine points for Albertus as it took a 51-33 lead with 7:50 remaining. Zdru and White each scored six points in the quarter and the Falcons shot 8-for-12 (66.7%) from the field.
• A jump shot from Elizabeth Bruno to start the fourth quarter gave the Falcons its biggest lead of the game at 71-45 just 40 seconds into the final frame. The Pilgrims trimmed the Albertus lead to 73-58 but back-to-back threes from Zdru and White sealed the game.

 NOTEWORTHY

• Scott moved up to sixth-place in program history in points and now has 1,467 points in her career. 
• Murray-Leach moved up to eighth all-time scoring in program history in points and now has 1,369 in her career.
• White now has 984 points in her career.
• Albertus now leads the all-time series, 4-3 against NEC and have won the last three meetings.
• This is the third straight season the Falcons have made the GNAC semifinals.
• Albertus secured its second straight 20-win season.

#4 Emmanuel 87, #5 Lasell 62

Recap courtesy of the Emmanuel Athletic Communications Department.

BOSTON - Emmanuel College Women's Basketball (15-11, 11-3 GNAC) advanced to the semifinals of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament with an 87-62 victory over the Lasell Lasers (15-9, 10-4 GNAC) Tuesday night on Andy Yosinoff Court.

Olivia Matela got the Saints started early with layup immediately following Kiera Eubanks' tip-off win just a few seconds into the matchup. Minutes later, with the score knotted at eight, an acrobatic Paris Atuahene layup sparked a run that lasted for the remainder of the first quarter. The home side outscored the Lasers 14-2 over the final seven minutes of play and took a 22-10 advantage into the second quarter.

Determined to close the gap, Lasell responded with a run of their own midway through the second quarter. Trailing by 15, Kiara Cerruti buried a shot from beyond the arc to begin a 17-6 run, cutting the Emmanuel lead to four at 33-29. Prior to the break, the Saints extended their lead back to seven to take a 38-31 advantage into halftime.

A Eubanks jump shot with 6:10 remaining in the third got the Saints lead back to double-digits. Emmanuel led by at least 10 throughout the remainder of the matchup. After 30 minutes, the Saints held on to a 59-46 lead as the two sides headed into the final frame of the night.

Looking to secure the quarterfinal victory, the Saints outscored the visitors 20-5 over the opening five minutes of the fourth quarter. The extended run was highlighted by a huge Matela three-pointer that all but put the game to bed as an energetic Saints crowd erupted. Emmanuel shot a game-best 64.3 percent from the floor in the final period to deliver an 87-62 victory and advance to the GNAC semifinals.

Emmanuel was led by first-year Meagan Schuermann, who finished with 19 points and Olivia Matela, who added 16 points and six assists. Megan Reilly nearly finished with a double-double, contributing nine points and nine assists. Kiara Cerruti scored a game-high 21 points for the Lasers in the loss.

The Saints' 87 points was good-enough for their third-highest scoring tilt of the season. A 50.8 percent shooting percentage marked the third consecutive game in which Emmanuel shot at least 50 percent from the field.

Up next, Emmanuel will hit the road for a GNAC semifinal at first-seeded St. Joseph's College (Maine) on Thursday at a time to be determined. Lasell concludes their season with an overall record of 16-9.

2024 GNAC Women's Basketball Tournament Schedule

Play-In – Monday, Feb. 19
(Hosted by higher seeds)

#7 Regis def. #10 Colby-Sawyer, 60-32 | BOX
#8 Rivier def. #9 Johnson & Wales, 82-73 | BOX

Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Feb. 20
(Hosted by higher seeds)

#1 Saint Joseph's (Maine) def. #8 Rivier, 74-64 | BOX
#2 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) def. #7 Regis, 80-68 | BOX
#3 Albertus Magnus def. #6 New England College, 86-67 | BOX
#4 Emmanuel def. #5 Lasell, 87-62 | BOX

Semifinals – Thursday, Feb. 22
(Hosted by higher seeds)

#4 Emmanuel at #1 Saint Joseph's (Maine), 5:30 p.m.
#3 Albertus Magnus at #2 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), 5 p.m.

Championship – Saturday, Feb. 24

Semifinal winners, TBD