STANDISH, Maine – Johnson & Wales University (20-5, 15-3 GNAC) defeated Saint Joseph's College (12-13, 10-8 GNAC), 79-65, in a GNAC men's basketball contest at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon. Senior guard Steve Simonds (Steep Falls, Maine) tallied 23 points, five rebounds and three assists in the losing effort.
Despite the setback, Saint Joseph's remains in the fourth spot in the conference standings and will host #5 Lasell College in a GNAC Tournament Quarterfinal contest at 7:00 PM on Tuesday. Johnson & Wales, the #2 seed, hosts seventh-seeded Mount Ida College at 7:30 PM in other quarterfinal action on Tuesday night.
Saint Joseph's held a 14-5 advantage after Simonds netted a three-pointer with 14:11 left in the first half, but the lead quickly evaporated, as Johnson & Wales mounted a 14-3 run over the following six minutes to claim a 19-17 edge.
JWU junior Robert Lewis (Providence, R.I.) and Saint Joseph's senior Jordan Tripp (Brooklyn, N.Y.) went on to trade layups, with the latter making it a 29-27 game in favor of the Wildcats with 3:29 before the break. Johnson & Wales proceeded to post an 18-5 run, while going 7-7 from the floor, over the closing minutes of the half and carried a 47-32 lead into the break as a result.
The Wildcats secured a game-high 22-point lead (62-40) when junior Yadiyah Letellier (Glen Cove, N.Y.) netted a tip-in with 11:17 left to play, but the Monks made one last push and trailed 69-58 after freshman forward Quinn Richardson-Newton (Saco, Maine) made a pair of freebies to close out a 13-5 run with 3:21 left. The comeback bid would fall short, as the Wildcats sealed the conference victory by making seven of eight free throws in the closing two minutes.
For the Monks, sophomore guard Andrew Ruffen (Salem, N.H.) scored 11 points off the bench, Richardson-Newton contributed eight points and five rebounds, junior guard Craig Luschenat (Boston, Mass.) added eight points and Tripp chipped in with six points in the loss.
Junior guard Quarry Greenaway (Westchester, N.Y.) paced the Wildcats and led all scorers with 24 points while pulling down a team-high eight boards, Lewis netted 13 with four caroms and four assists, freshman guard Jarell Lawson (Providence, R.I.) added 12 points off the bench, and junior guard Tom Garrick (Seekonk, Mass.) totaled 11 points and seven rebounds in the triumph.
Prior to the start of the contest, a brief ceremony was held to honor the Monks' three seniors: Simonds, Tripp and Zach Blodgett (Glenburn, Maine). This trio has helped lead the Royal Blue to a 65-42 (.608) overall record, including a 49-23 (.681) mark in GNAC play, over the last four seasons.
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 430-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.
