BOSTON, Mass. – Suffolk University (7-17, 5-12 GNAC) edged Saint Joseph's College (8-16, 5-12 GNAC), 58-53, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball action on Tuesday night.
THE LEAD
In a late-season conference matchup featuring 11 lead changes – none greater than nine points - and 10 tie scores, Suffolk seemed to claim control by kicking off the second half with an 18-7 run en route to taking a 47-38 advantage with 10:08 remaining. Saint Joseph's responded with a 12-2 outburst, which lifted the Monks to a 50-49 margin after senior guard Craig Luschenat (Boston, Mass.) hit a pair of free throws with 3:27 on the clock, but the Rams, fueled by a 5-6 charity-stripe effort, managed to put the game away with a 9-0 burst over the final minutes.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S
- Luschenat netted 13 points with five rebounds, two assists, and three steals
- Freshman guard Darian Berry (Rochester, N.H.) came off the bench to score 11 points with five boards
- Sophomore forward Quinn Richardson-Newton (Saco, Maine) added 10 points and five caroms
- Freshman guard Ben Malloy (Standish, Maine) was 3-7 from downtown with nine points
LEADERS – SUFFOLK
- Adam Chick posted a double-double with 20 points and 16 rebounds – including 10 on the offensive glass – while making 9 off 11 shots from the floor
- Jake Meister registered 17 points, seven boards, and four assists
- Caleb Unni chipped in with seven points and seven caroms
TEAM STATS
Saint Joseph's shot 34.4% (21-61) from the field, 26.9% (7-26) from three-point land, and 100% (4-4) from the FT line while Suffolk posted percentages of 36.2% (21-58), 23.8% (5-21), and 68.8% (11-16) from the floor, beyond the arc, and the charity strip, respectively, on the evening.
Suffolk held the lead in rebounding (46-34), points off turnovers (8-4), second-chance points (15-4), and points in the paint (24-20) in the victory. The Monks led in assists (11-10), turnovers (7-9), fast break points (6-0), and bench points (20-4) in the losing bid.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 14-4 in the history of the series with Suffolk University, a team the Monks defeated by a 62-56 margin at the Harold Alfond Center on January 18th.
NEXT!
Both teams close out the regular season with conference contests on the road on Saturday, as Saint Joseph's plays at Anna Maria College and Suffolk travels to Lasell College. Both games are slated for 3:00 PM tip-offs.
#GOMONKS
Follow Saint Joseph's Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram!
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.
