STANDISH, Maine – Johnson & Wales University (3-8, 3-2 GNAC) tipped Saint Joseph's College (7-6, 4-2 GNAC), 74-71, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball action at the Harold Alfond Center on Tuesday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
In a wild contest featuring 14 lead changes and 13 tie scores, Johnson & Wales – the defending GNAC Champions – managed to pull away late and withstood a Saint Joseph's comeback bid with the help of a 4-4 free-throw shooting performance from senior guard Anthony Jernigan (East Hartford, Conn.) in the closing 34 seconds.
The Monks owned a 39-36 advantage at the break and clung to a slim 56-54 lead after junior forward Aaron Hall (Haverhill, Mass.) converted a traditional three-point play with 9:35 on the second-half clock, but the Wildcats shot ahead with an 8-0 run which was capped by a Jarell Lawson (Providence, R.I.) three-pointer to make it a 62-56 game four minutes later.
In the final 30 seconds, St. Joe's fought back with three-pointers from sophomores Ben Malloy (Standish, Maine) and Ian Mileikis (Auburn, Maine) to make it a one-point contest, but Jernigan converted a pair of freebies on the following JWU possession and a deep attempt by Malloy as time expired was off the mark.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Hall led the Monks with 11 points and pulled down three rebounds
- Senior John Crawley (Fitchburg, Mass.) came off the bench to score 10 points in 15 minutes
- Mileikis tallied nine points, eight rebounds, three steals, and two assists
- Malloy chipped in with nine points off a 3-6 three-point shooting effort
- Senior Andrew Ruffen (Salem, N.H.) totaled eight points, five rebounds, and two steals off the bench
- Junior Quinn Richardson-Newton (Saco, Maine) added seven points with a game-high nine rebounds
- Sophomore Marc Corey (Londonderry, N.H.) contributed seven points, seven assists, and three caroms
LEADERS – JOHNSON & WALES:
- Jernigan led all players with 26 points with the help of a 10-11 free-throw shooting performance and added seven assists, five steals, and four boards
- Sophomore Matt Madoian (North Kingstown, R.I.) added 18 points and two rebounds
- Lawson tallied 15 points and six caroms
- Junior Micahel Kiser (Pike Road, Ala.) pulled down a team-high eight rebounds with four points and three steals
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's returns to action with a road game versus GNAC-rival Albertus Magnus College Saturday at 1:00 PM. Johnson & Wales hosts Lasell College Thursday at 7:00 PM.
#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.
