STANDISH, Maine – Sophomore forward Quinn Richardson-Newton (Saco, Maine) netted a career-high 22 points with seven rebounds and four assists to help Saint Joseph's College (5-9, 2-5 GNAC) defeat Rivier University (2-12, 2-5 GNAC), 68-55, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball action at the Harold Alfond Center on Wednesday evening.
THE LEAD
Saint Joseph's maintained a share of the lead for the vast majority of play, but Rivier did not stray far and utilized several scoring runs to make things interesting near the end of the second stanza.
The Monks notched their first double-digit advantage when Richardson-Newton nailed a pair of free throws, making it a 51-40 game with 6:59 left. The Raiders responded with eight unanswered points with senior guard Lance Handy (Easton, Mass.) connecting for two freebies to cut the hosts' cushion down to 51-49 with 4:31 on the clock.
St. Joe's followed with seven straight points, a streak capped by an Ian Mileikis (Auburn, Maine) three-pointer, which lifted the Royal Blue to a 58-49 lead with 2:50 remaining.
The dagger from downtown seemed to take the wind out of the Raiders' sails and the Monks put the game away by making 10 of 12 free-throw attempts in the final two minutes.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS:
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S
- Richardson-Newton was 7-11 from the field and 8-10 from the free-throw line in the victory
- Freshman guard Ben Malloy (Standish, Maine) netted 11 points in 20 minutes off the bench
- Freshman forward Marc Corey (Londonderry, N.H.) pulled down a career-high 11 rebounds, including four offensive, with six points
- Mileikis tallied eight points and four rebounds
- Senior guard Davis Tucker (High Point, N.C.) chipped in with five points, five rebounds and a pair of assists
- Freshman guard Darian Berry (Rochester, N.H.) contributed eight points
LEADERS – RIVIER
- Junior guard Victor Davila (Guaynabo, Puerto Rico) tallied 18 points and five assists while making four of seven attempts from beyond the arc
- Senior guard Anthony Simmons (Stamford, Conn.) produced 15 points with three steals
- Handy and freshman forward Isaiah Ruffen (Haverhill, Mass.) netted eight points apiece
TEAM STATS
Saint Joseph's shot 47.6% (20-42) from the floor, 33.3% (6-18) from downtown and 78.6% (22-28) from the free throw line while Rivier posted efforts of 32.7% (18-55), 37% (10-27), and 75% (9-12) from the field, three-point distance, and the charity stripe, respectively, on the evening.
The Monks maintained advantages in rebounds (35-26), assists (13-11), turnovers (12-13), points off turnovers (16-9), points in the paint (20-4) and bench points (22-12) in the victory.
NOTEWORTHY
Freshman forward Jae Johns (Long Island, N.Y.), a mid-year transfer, made his Saint Joseph's College debut in the closing minutes tonight…Richardson-Newton has been the Monks' leading scorer in four consecutive games with a 16.5 PPG average during the stretch…tonight's free throws made and attempts totals are both team-highs this season…the Raiders' point total, field goals made total and field goal percentage are all SJC opponent-lows this winter.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 15-3 in the history of the series with Rivier University and has now defeated the Raiders in 10-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2010-11 campaign.
NEXT!
Both teams resume conference play this Saturday when Saint Joseph's plays at Lasell College at 3:00 PM and Rivier hosts Emmanuel College in a 1:00 PM tip-off.
#GOMONKS
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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 474-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.
