STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (6-10, 3-6 GNAC) tipped Suffolk University (4-11, 2-6 GNAC), 62-56, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball action at the Harold Alfond Center on Monday afternoon.
THE LEAD
In a game that featured six tie scores and eight lead changes, the Monks claimed the lead for good with the help of impressive efforts on both ends of the court late in the second half. Trailing 47-41 with 7:17 remaining, Saint Joseph's rattled off 15 unanswered points – including six from freshman Darian Berry (Rochester, N.H.) and five from senior Craig Luschenat (Boston, Mass.) – and held a 56-47 lead after Luschenat made a pair of free throws with 52 seconds left.
The SJC defense was an important factor during the game-changing stretch and held the Rams without a bucket in 12 attempts in nine trips down the court over the seven-minute string.
In the closing 40 seconds, Suffolk fought back and cut the Monks' lead to four on a pair of occasions in the final 10 ticks, but sophomore Quinn Richardson-Newton (Saco, Maine) and freshman Ian Mileikis (Auburn, Maine) made a pair of free throws apiece during the same span to help the hosts hold off the visitors.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S
- Richardson-Newton nearly recorded a double-double with 18 points and eight rebounds while shooting 6-7 from the FT line
- Mileikis added 14 points, six rebounds, and four assists
- Senior guard Davis Tucker (High Point, N.C.) pulled down a game-and-career-high 10 rebounds
- Luschenat netted nine points with three boards and three assists
- Berry contributed nine points and made a trio of freebies after being fouled on a downtown shot in the midst of the Monks' 15-0 run
- Freshman Marc Corey (Londonderry, N.H.) chipped in with eight points
LEADERS – SUFFOLK
- Senior guard Jake Meister (Madison, N.J.) scored a game-high 19 points with seven rebounds
- Senior guard Caleb Unni (Winchester, Mass.) netted 11 with five caroms
- Senior guard Adam Chick (Northbrook, Ill.) tallied nine points with eight rebounds and three assists
- Junior forward Matt Duquette (Swampscott, Mass.) chipped in off the bench with seven points, three rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots
TEAM STATS
Saint Joseph's shot 38.8% (19-49) from the floor, 33.3% (7-21) from three-point distance, and 73.9% (17-23) from the free throw line while Suffolk shot 35% (21-60) from the field, 30.8% (8-26) from downtown, and 85.7% (6-7) from the charity stripe on the afternoon.
The Monks maintained leads in rebounds (39-33), assists (15-13) and bench points (11-9) while the Rams held the advantage in points off turnovers (8-1), second-chance points (5-4), and points in the paint (22-10).
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 14-3 all-time versus Suffolk University, a team that defeated the Monks in the last meeting (66-55 in Boston, 2/12/15) between the conference counterparts.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's is off until Saturday when the team hosts GNAC-rival and current conference leader Johnson & Wales University (15-1, 9-0 GNAC) in a 2:00 PM tip-off. Suffolk hosts Lasell College in a conference matchup slated to begin at 7:00 PM on Thursday.
#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.
