Box Score NORTHFIELD, Vt. – The Monks of Saint Joseph's College came out of the gate swinging and didn't look back, as the reigning Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Champions handled the Norwich Cadets to the tune of a 74-44 victory on Saturday afternoon in GNAC play.
In their first action on the court after nearly a month off, the Cadets came out a little out of rhythm and allowed the Monks to open up a 16-0 advantage within the first four minutes. The tone was set for the rest of the game, as Saint Joseph's never looked back. Norwich was outscored 40-21 in the first half and, despite a strong start, outscored 34-23 in the second half.
Reigning GNAC Player of the Year Kelsi McNamara led the way once again for the Monks, in spite of a strong defensive effort from the Cadets against the offensive force of McNamara. The junior guard found a way around the defense, setting her teammates up again and again for a game-high 8 assists on the day. Classmate Hannah Marks benefited the most, with 15 points off 4-6 shooting from 3-point land. Even while spending her day spreading the ball around to teammates, McNamara still found time to collect a game-high 17 points.
For the Cadets, the month-long break between games showed early and often, as the squad just couldn't seem to get a rhythm going at all today. The team shot 29.8% (17-57) from the field and committed 22 turnovers on the day, giving more than enough room for the Monks to easily pull off the victory. Senior Shyann Josler (Thetford Center, Vt.) still managed to fill the stat sheet, with 12 points, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Fellow senior and team captain Arianna Harrison (Vernon, Vt.) made her return to the starting lineup from a leg injury that kept her out of almost every game this year and managed 7 points and 5 rebounds in limited minutes.
The Cadets will return to the hardwood on January 9th for another GNAC showdown, this time with Simmons University on the road at 6:00 PM.
