STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (6-5, 3-1 GNAC) edged Anna Maria College (2-9, 2-2 GNAC), 67-65 in overtime, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball contest at the Harold Alfond Center on Wednesday evening. For the Monks, tonight's victory counts as the second overtime triumph in as many games, as St. Joe's defeated Bowdoin College, 91-88, in extra play on Friday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
In a contest featuring 15 tie scores and eight lead changes with neither team owning more than a six-point lead, Saint Joseph's freshman guard Mario Nery (Bronx, N.Y.) proved his mettle by going 4-4 from the free throw line during the five-minute overtime frame to help the Monks claim their second win over Anna Maria this season.
St. Joe's held a 53-48 cushion after junior forward Aaron Hall (Haverhill, Mass.) converted a layup with 7:44 remaining in regulation, but the AMCATS knotted the contest with five quick points from senior guard David Jean-Louis (Miramar, Fla.) during the following minute of play. The conference counterparts essentially traded buckets until SJC junior forward Quinn Richardson-Newton (Saco, Maine) hit a jumper, tying the contest at 61-61, with 2:58 left. The two-pointer proved to be the final shot made during regulation, as the Monks and AMCATS combined to go 0-8 from the field the rest of the way.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Sophomore guard Ian Mileikis (Auburn, Maine) led all players with 18 points while shooting 8-14 from the floor
- Richardson-Newton tallied 12 points, four boards, two assists, and a pair of steals
- Senior guard John Crawley (Fitchburg, Mass.) came off the bench to net nine points with three rebounds and a pair of rejections
- Hall added eight points, seven caroms, three steals, and two blocked shots
- Nery contributed seven points, four assists, and two rebounds
- Senior guard Andrew Ruffen (Salem, N.H.) netted a pair of three-pointers with four rebounds and an assist off the bench
LEADERS – ANNA MARIA:
- Freshman forward Mike Rapoza (Charlton, Mass.) scored 13 points and pulled down a game-high 19 rebounds with two blocked shots
- Junior forward Kenneth Graham (West Haven, Conn.) chipped in with 14 points and five boards
- Junior guard Liam Pickett (Oxford, Mass.) left the bench to score 12 points with four caroms
- Jean-Louis, Tanner Jakola (Leominster, Mass.), and Malik Forouzan (Houston, Texas) netted eight points apiece
NEXT!
Both teams are back in action facing conference foes this Saturday, when Saint Joseph's travels to Emmanuel College for a 1:00 PM contest and Anna Maria hosts Lasell College in a 3:00 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.
