NASHUA, N.H. – Saint Joseph's College (7-15, 4-11 GNAC) defeated Rivier University (3-19, 3-12 GNAC), 80-71, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball action on Tuesday night.
THE LEAD
Saint Joseph's snapped a five-game losing streak largely due to a season-high 52.2% (12-23) three-point shooting performance in tonight's victory, as five different players netted at least one trifecta for the Monks.
St. Joe's held the lead for all but several possessions early in the first half and posted an 11-3 run, spanning five minutes, which concluded with a Jerome Diggs (Washington, D.C.) layup and the visitors holding a 21-11 cushion 10:15 before the break.
The Monks led 35-22 at intermission, but the Raiders shot their way back into contention with a 57.1% (16-28) effort from the floor in the second stanza and trailed by eight (75-68) after Kevin Francis (Cromwell, Conn.) capped a 19-9 run with a three-pointer at the 1:15 mark. Saint Joseph's managed to hold off Rivier with a 5-7 free-throw shooting performance in the final 30 seconds.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S
- Sophomore forward Quinn Richardson-Newton (Saco, Maine) posted his second double-double of the season with 20 points and 12 rebounds – both game-highs – while shooting 50% (7-14) from the field and going 6-6 from the FT line
- Freshman guard Darian Berry (Rochester, N.H.) made four of five shots from downtown en route to scoring a career-high 18 points
- Senior guard Craig Luschenat (Boston, Mass.) added 13 points
- Freshman forward Marc Corey (Londonderry, N.H.) put up a solid line with nine points, 10 boards, and four assists
- Freshman guard Ian Mileikis (Auburn, Maine) chipped in with seven points, four caroms, and two assists
- Freshman guard Ben Malloy (Standish, Maine) made the first start of his NCAA career and tallied six points with a pair of rebounds and two assists
LEADERS – RIVIER
- Freshman forward Isaiah Ruffen (Haverhill, Mass.) led the Raiders with 19 points – all in the second half – with six rebounds
- Senior guard Anthony Simmons (Stamford, Conn.) netted 17 points with four boards and four assists while making all seven attempts from the free throw line
- Francis added 14 points, seven caroms, three assists, and two steals
TEAM STATS
Saint Joseph's shot 50% (27-54) from the floor, 52.2% (12-23) from three-point distance, and 73.7% (14-19) from the free throw line while Rivier posted efforts of 42.9% (24-56), 39.3% (11-28), and 92.3% (12-13) from the field, beyond the arc, and the charity stripe, respectively.
The Monks held the lead in rebounds (35-28), assists (18-14), turnovers (13-14), points off turnovers (22-10), points in the paint (26-18), and bench points (34-9) in the victory.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
With the win, Saint Joseph's sweeps the season series with Rivier University and improves to 16-3 all-time against the Raiders. St. Joe's has now defeated Rivier in 14 consecutive meetings dating back to the 2008-09 campaign.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's returns to action on Saturday with a 3:00 PM home contest versus Norwich University. The program's three seniors – Davis Tucker (High Point, N.C.), Diggs, and Luschenat – will be honored along with their families with a brief Senior Day ceremony prior to 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.
