STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (8-15, 5-11 GNAC) recorded a 66-62 overtime victory over Norwich University (6-17, 3-13 GNAC) in GNAC men's basketball action at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon.
THE LEAD
Trailing by double-digits for the better part of the first half, the Monks did not claim their first lead until midway through the second stanza, as an Ian Mileikis (Auburn, Maine) layup lifted the hosts to a 43-42 edge with 9:57 remaining. The game featured five additional lead changes and three tie scores down the stretch, including the regulation final, as Mileikis nailed a three-pointer with 40 seconds left to knot the game at 58 apiece, a dagger that eventually forced extra play.
Saint Joseph's struck first in overtime, as sophomore forward Quinn Richardson-Newton (Saco, Maine) converted a layup 22 seconds into the final frame. Norwich sophomore center Mike Hogervorst (Leiden, Netherlands) countered by making a pair of free throws at the 4:15 mark, tying the contest 60-60, but senior guard Craig Luschenat (Boston, Mass.) hit a three to lift the Royal Blue to a 63-60 lead and the hosts went 3-4 from the FT line in the final 30 seconds to clinch an important GNAC victory.
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S
- Richardson-Newton nearly registered a triple-double with 18 points, eight rebounds, and eight assists with a pair of steals
- Freshman guard Darian Berry (Rochester, N.H.) came off the bench to score 15 points off a 5-8 shooting effort
- Luschenat added 12 points and five caroms
- Mileikis, who hit a buzzer-beater to defeat the Cadets earlier this season, made several big shots today and scored nine points with four boards and three assists
- Senior Davis Tucker (High Point, N.C.) contributed six points and seven rebounds
LEADERS – NORWICH
- Hogervorst paced the Cadets with 17 points and added five rebounds
- Sophomore guard Zygimantas Sirvydas (Silale, Lithuania) tallied 14 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists
- Sophomore guard Ryan Fitzgerald (Winchester, Mass.) chipped in with 12 points
- Sophomore guard Ryan Booth (Northfield, Vt.) pulled down 12 rebounds with five points and five assists
TEAM STATS
Saint Joseph's shot 34.3% (24-70) overall, 31% (9-29) from downtown, and 75% (9-12) from the free-throw line while Norwich shot 46.2% (24-52) from the field, 38.9% (7-18) from beyond the arc, and 70% (7-10) from the FT line in the losing bid.
The Monks held advantages in rebounding (38-36), turnovers (11-20), points off turnovers (16-11), second-chance points (14-2), and bench points (15-8) while the Cadets led in assists (17-15), steals (7-6), and points in the paint (26-18).
SENIOR MOMENT
Prior to tip-off, the SJC men's basketball program held a brief ceremony to honor the team's four seniors – Luschenat, Tucker, Jerome Diggs (Washington, D.C.), and four-year student assistant Alex Hoyt. Family members and the Monks' coaching staff met the seniors at midcourt as flowers were given to the players' mothers and photographs were taken by Saint Joseph's staffers.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 16-3 all-time versus Norwich University and has now defeated the Cadets in 11 consecutive meetings dating back to the 2010-11 campaign.
NEXT!
Both teams resume play Tuesday when Saint Joseph's travels to Suffolk University for a 7:00 PM GNAC match-up and Norwich hosts nationally-ranked Johnson & Wales University in a 7:00 PM conference contest.
#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.
