NASHUA, N.H. – Junior guard Darian Berry (Rochester, N.H.) scored 27 points in just 20 minutes to propel Saint Joseph's College (8-6, 3-2 GNAC) past Rivier University (1-13, 0-5 GNAC), 79-59, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball contest on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Saint Joseph's trailed early but assumed control for good with a game-changing 20-4 run that started midway through the first quarter. Behind 15-14 with 9:25 before the break, the Monks kicked off the surge with 13 unanswered points – including 11 from Berry – over the next three minutes and freshman guard Jack Casale (Portland, Maine/Cheverus) completed the run with a three-pointer at the 3:19 mark to extend the SJC lead to 34-19.

The Monks held a 38-23 cushion at intermission and led by a game-high 25 points (61-36) after junior forward Jae Johns (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) converted a layup with 13:45 left in the second quarter.

STATS OF THE GAME:

St. Joe's held a 34-16 advantage in points in the paint with a 21-7 lead in bench points on the afternoon.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Berry was 6-12 from three-point range and added six rebounds and five steals
• Casale chipped in with 11 points and two boards off the bench
• Senior forward Quinn Richardson-Newton (Saco, Maine) added 10 points, four caroms, two assists, and a pair of steals
• Senior forward Aaron Hall (Haverhill, Mass.) pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds and scored nine points
• Johns was 6-6 from the FT line with 10 points and six rebounds

LEADERS – RIVIER:

• Sophomore Tristian Givens (Windsor, Conn.) tallied a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds
• Freshman Ian Wade (Windsor Locks, Conn.) added 13 points and six boards
• Freshman Tarik Rivers (Stamford, Conn.) scored 13 points

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 19-4 in the history of the series with Rivier University.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's will host GNAC-rival Mount Ida College on Tuesday at 7:30 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.