NEWTON, Mass. (1/16/16) – The visiting Monks of Saint Joseph's College of Maine defeated the Lasell women's basketball team 64-34 in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) tilt on Saturday afternoon in the Athletic Center Gym. With the setback the Lasers drop to 8-7 overall and 1-2 in league play, while the Monks climb to 11-3 and 2-0 in the GNAC.

STAT LEADERS FOR LASELL

Senior guards Katie Stopera (Hollis, N.H.) and Deanna Barrett (Berlin, Conn.) and junior Sherilyn Small (Springfield, Mass.) led the scoring for the Lasers with six points apiece, as Stopera grabbed a team-best nine rebounds. Sophomore guard Morgan Church (New London, N.H.) followed on the glass with six caroms.

STAT LEADERS FOR SAINT JOE'S

Senior forward Morgan Cahill (Yarmouth, Maine) turned her fifth double-double of the season with a game-high 20 points and 15 rebounds. Cahill went a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line, and shot 8-for-19 from the floor with an extra three blocks. Two additional Monks scored in double digits in the effort, as freshman Kelsi McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.), the GNAC's five-time Rookie of the Week, scored 10 points with four assists, while sophomore Norma Waggett (Saugus, Mass.) came off the pine to contribute 10 points and six boards.

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Monks led the charge with an opening 6-2 run from a montage of baskets from Cahill and McNamara. With 5:29 left to go in the first half, McNamara sunk a two-pointer to double up on the Lasers, 18-9. Holding Lasell to just 14 points in the first stanza, the Monks carried a comfortable 28-14 lead into the final two quarters of regulation.

Freshman forward Hannah Marks (Waldoboro, Maine) put up a lights out three pointer with five seconds left in the third, where the Monks began a 12-0 run, securing the visitors' largest lead of the game at 60-25.

Despite the outcome, the Monks shot just 32.9% from the floor and 25.0% from three-point range. The Lasers struggled to find their rhythm on the court with 23.3% shooting from the floor and 13.6% shooting from downtown. St. Joe's grabbed a majority of its points (32) from the drive inside the paint, and scored 20 points from second chance opportunities.

WHAT'S NEXT

Both teams face GNAC opponents in their next matchup, as the Lasers play host to Norwich University on Tuesday, January 19 at 5:30 p.m., while the Monks welcome Suffolk University on Monday, January 18 with tip-off slated for 1:00 p.m.