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BIDDEFORD, Maine -- The University of New England opened up a 35-11 lead in the latter stages of the 1st half on the way to a 74-44 non-conference women's basketball victory over Saint Joseph's College (Maine) on Monday evening (Jan. 26) at the Harold Alfond Forum.

The Nor'easters (14-3) have now topped the Monks (11-5) in each of the last 11 meetings between the teams.

Five players reached double figures for Big Blue, led by junior Alanna Vose with 14 points -- 11 of which came during the initial period. Senior Kelly Coleman and junior Meghan Gribbin added 11 points apiece, while sophomore Alicia Brown and first-year Sam MacDonald both tallied 10.

UNE limited St. Joe's to just 19 percent shooting in the contest and forced 26 visitor turnovers. The strong defensive effort was aided by sophomore Brooke Flaherty with four blocks and Brown rejected three more. Flaherty and junior Sadie DiPierro shared the team lead with three steals.

For the Monks, senior Sarah Assante, sophomore Emily Kehoe, and first-year Emily Quirion all totaled eight points. Senior Morgan Cahill and first-year Norma Waggett pulled down eight rebounds apiece as SJC corralled 26 offensive boards and finished with a 54-34 advantage on the glass. Kehoe also scooped up a team-high three steals.

Gribbin notched the game's first five points as the Nor'easters jumped out to a 7-0 spread just 2:32 into the match, and the hosts never looked back. With less than eight minutes left on the clock in the stanza, UNE recorded 12 unanswered points in 3:07 to assume a 24-point margin.

The gap was at 26 until Quirion drained a halfcourt buzzer-beater to make it 42-19 at intermission. UNE connected on 50 percent of its shots in the frame, while holding SJC to a 16 percent conversion rate.

A pair of free throws by Big Blue junior Michaela Flanagan with 4:58 to play pushed the cushion to its peak (37; 69-32) before settling on the final difference.

The remainder of the UNE regular-season schedule will be against Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) opponents, beginning with a visit to Endicott College on Thursday (5:30 p.m.).

Saint Joseph's is slated to entertain Bates College on Wednesday (7 p.m.).


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