STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (5-5, 1-1 GNAC) shot 75.7% (28-37) from the field in the second half to blow past University of New England (3-7, 1-2 CCC), 118-81, in a non-conference men's basketball contest at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon.

FIRST GLANCE:

Junior guard Ian Mileikis (Auburn, Maine) paced six SJC double-digit scorers with 21 points – including 15 in the second half – to help the Monks reach triple digits on the scoreboard in regulation play for the first time since January 19th, 2008.

THE REST OF THE STORY:

The in-state rivals played closely in the first half as the Monks owned a 48-40 cushion heading into intermission, but the second half belonged to the hosts, as St. Joe's outscored UNE by a 70-41 margin over the final 20 minutes.

Featuring a fast-paced offense and constant full-court press, University of New England entered today's game ranked first in the nation in three pointers attempted (550), third in trifectas made (159), and seventh in scoring (99.3 PPG), but the Monks' defense succeeded in holding the Nor'easters to their second-lowest point total of the season thus far.

TEAM STATS:

Saint Joseph's held considerable advantages in rebounds (58-35), assists (35-24), and points in the paint (62-36) and posted a 55-51 lead in bench points in the victory.

The Monks shot 66.7% (48-72) from the floor, 44% (11-25) from downtown, and 78.6% (11-14) from the free throw line, while the Nor'easters posted percentages of 34% (32-94), 25% (12-48), and 41.7% (5-12) from the field, three-point range, and the charity stripe, respectively.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Mileikis added five rebounds and a pair of assists and went 7-9 from the floor and 6-6 from the FT line
• Junior guard Darian Berry (Rochester, N.H.) netted 20 points with seven boards and five assists
• Freshman guard Jack Casale (Portland, Maine/Cheverus) poured in 19 points with eight caroms, four assists, and two blocked shots
• Senior forward Aaron Hall (Haverhill, Mass.) was perfect (7-7) from the floor with 14 points and six boards
• Freshman guard Tatsuaki Sakai (Japan) was 3-3 from the field and 2-2 from the line with 10 points, three rebounds, and a pair of assists in 13 minutes
• Junior forward Jae Johns (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) went 5-5 from the floor and chipped in with 10 points and five boards

LEADERS – UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND:

• Freshman guard Alex Kravchuk (Mansfield, Conn.) paced UNE with 12 points and grabbed four steals
• Freshman guard Matt Lorman (Rutland, Vt.) chipped in with 11 points, four rebounds, and two assists
• Junior guard Daron Hoges, Jr. (West Orange, N.Y.) added seven points and a team-high eight rebounds

BEYOND THE BOX:

The Monks' scoring output counts as the most allowed by the Nor'easters this winter…Today marks the first time SJC reached the 100-point mark since January 31st, 2015 when the Monks suffered a 105-104 overtime loss at Anna Maria College…In program history, Saint Joseph's has now scored 100 or more points in 197 different games…Today's performance counts as the first time the Monks have scored 118 or more points since SJC toppled Maine Maritime Academy, 121-69, on February 15th, 1999…The last time SJC defeated an opponent by 37 or more points: 103-50 over Mount Ida College on January 19th, 2008.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the victory, Saint Joseph's is now 67-9 all-time versus University of New England and has now defeated the Nor'easters in 40 consecutive meetings dating back to the 1989-90 campaign. UNE has not defeated SJC since January 25th, 1989.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's returns to action on Tuesday, January 2nd when the Monks travel to Lewiston for an 8:00 PM matchup at Bates College.

#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.