DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The College of Wooster (6-3) surged past Saint Joseph's College (4-4), 65-57, in the opener of the Mauro Panaggio Tournament at DME Sports Complex on Sunday afternoon.

FIRST GLANCE:

Junior guard Darian Berry (Rochester, N.H.) tallied 18 points and seven rebounds and junior forward Jae Johns (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) came off the bench to net eight points with four boards in a hard-fought loss that featured 15 ties and nine lead changes.

THE REST OF THE STORY:

Saint Joseph's held a 48-46 edge after freshman guard Jack Casale (Portland, Maine/Cheverus) hit a three-pointer with 11:26 left in the second half. The Monks then fell victim to a shooting slump however, as the Royal Blue went 2-8 from the field with three turnovers over the subsequent nine minutes.

The Fighting Scots endured similar shooting woes until the 6:12 mark, when senior guard Spencer Williams (Warrensville Heights, Ohio) sank a pair of free throws to kick off a decisive 10-2 run, which was capped when sophomore guard Danyon Hempy (Waldo, Ohio) sank a layup to lift Wooster to a 59-53 lead with 3:14 left.

Casale cut the Monks' deficit down to 61-57 with a layup off an offensive rebound with 1:31 to play, but the Fighting Scots went 4-6 from the charity strip in the closing 36 seconds to seal the victory.

KEY STATS:

The Fighting Scots held a 34-18 lead in points in the paint and a 9-2 margin in points off turnovers in the victory.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Junior guard Ian Mileikis (Auburn, Maine) scored seven points with two boards and a pair of assists
• Senior forward Aaron Hall (Haverhill, Mass.) netted six points with three caroms
• Senior Quinn Richardson-Newton (Saco, Maine), sophomore Mario Nery (Bronx, N.Y.), and Casale chipped in with five points apiece

LEADERS – COLLEGE OF WOOSTER:

• Williams led all players with 22 points and added six assists and three rebounds
• Hempy contributed 10 points, two boards, and a pair of steals

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

This afternoon's meeting was the first between the two institutions' men's basketball programs.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's will face Whittier College in the Mauro Panaggio Tournament consolation game tomorrow at 12:00 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.