STANDISH — Emmanuel College ended St. Joseph’s spotless record and the Monks’ three-year grip on the Great Northeast Athletic Conference women’s basketball championship by earning a 65-64 victory in the tournament final Saturday at the Alfond Center.

Emmanuel (23-5) receives the automatic bid to the NCAA Division III tournament.

St. Joseph’s (27-1 and ranked No. 8 in one national poll) appears in line for an at-large bid. The 64-team field, including 20 at-large bids, will be announced Monday.

“That obviously would be great recognition for an outstanding year,” St. Joseph’s Coach Mike McDevitt said. “But we really feel we fell short because we didn’t reach our goal of winning the conference.”

St. Joseph’s took the lead with 23 seconds left but Emmanuel came right back to regain the advantage with 8.6 seconds remaining.

The Monks had one more chance, inbounding the ball and looking to their best scorer. But Emmanuel guard Kayla Weaver sensed where the pass was going, stole the ball, and the victory.

St. Joseph’s has been led for the past four years by four seniors. This was only the third time they lost to a conference team and the first in the playoffs. The defeat also ended a 51-game home winning streak.

Those seniors were again in double figures – Kelsi McNamara (18 points), Julie Champagne (16), Hannah Marks (12) and Emily Benway (11, with 11 rebounds).

But the Monks also shot 34 percent – their lowest percentage of the year. The Saints shot 46 percent with a 48-39 rebounding edge.

“Our defense won (it),” said Andy Yosinoff, in his 42nd year as the Saints’ coach. “And we won the game inside. They had no answer for Yuleska (Ramirez-Tejeda).”

Ramirez-Tejeda, a transfer from Division I Indiana/Purdue-Fort Wayne, is a 5-foot-7 junior guard. But she can jump higher than anyone on either team, and Yosinoff had her play the post. She finished with 14 points and 11 rebounds, seven offensive.

“She’s very athletic, kind of unstoppable under there,” said Champagne, a 5-7 guard.

With their 19 offensive rebounds, the Saints dominated inside. They outscored St. Joseph’s in the paint 42-18, including 15-7 on second-chance points.

“We identified a lot of keys and one was keeping them off the offensive glass,” McDevitt said.

McNamara hit 5 of 12 3-pointers, Champagne 4 of 12. McNamara’s 3 gave St. Joseph’s a 40-38 lead with 4:59 left in the third quarter.

Emmanuel responded with a 9-0 run – while St. Joseph’s made four turnovers – for the game’s biggest lead, 47-40.

But the Monks closed the quarter with their own run – a Marks layup (Champagne assist), and then 3-pointers by McNamara and Marks – for a 48-47 lead.

St. Joseph’s trailed before McNamara drove and fed Benway for a layup, and a 64-63 lead with 23 seconds left.

Emmanuel hurried up the floor and guard Madison McLaughlin drove into traffic, drawing a foul. Her two free throws put Emmanuel up 65-64 with 8.6 seconds left.

“It didn’t end the way we wanted but we have a lot to be happy for – 27-1 is pretty good,” Champagne said. “Now we’re hoping (for an NCAA bid).”

In the GNAC’s first 10 seasons, only one team got an at-large bid – Johnson & Wales (23-3) in 2016.

Kevin Thomas can be reached at 791-6411 or:

kthomas@pressherald.com

Twitter: @KevinThomasPPH