STANDISH, Maine - Saint Joseph's College (16-9, 11-5 GNAC) defeated Norwich University (10-15,7-9 GNAC), 84-68, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball action at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:
As the #3 seed in the GNAC Tournament, the Monks will host sixth-seeded Suffolk University (14-11, 9-7 GNAC) in a quarterfinal contest at 7:30 PM on Tuesday.
Norwich has earned the #7 seed and will play at second-seeded Johnson & Wales University in other quarterfinal action Tuesday at 7:00 PM.
MILESTONE MET:
Senior forward Quinn Richardson-Newton (Saco, Maine) became the 39th member of the Saint Joseph's College 1,000-Point Club after connecting on a 15-foot jumper at the 11:41 mark of the first half. The four-year starter required nine points to hit the milestone and finished the game with 12 on a 6-13 shooting performance.
Junior guard Jack Hostetler (Somers, Conn.) was credited with an assist on Richardson-Newton's historic field goal.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The game was closely-contested with the conference counterparts swapping buckets into the early minutes of the second stanza. Leading 51-48 with 16:37 remaining, the Monks gained separation - and essentially put the game out of reach - with a 21-7 run, as junior guard Darian Berry (Rochester, N.H.) capped the surge with a layup to lift the hosts to a 72-55 cushion with 7:26 on the clock.
The Cadets fought back to within 11 points (79-68) with 2:45 left, but the Monks' defense held the visitors without a field goal for the remainder of play.
STATS OF THE GAME:
St. Joe's held a 20-8 lead in second-chance points and shot 44.4% (12-27) from three-point distance - Norwich posted a 33.3% (10-33) rate from downtown - in the victory.
LEADERS - SAINT JOSEPH'S:
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Berry netted a career-high 30 points with eight rebounds and three assists while shooting 11-18 from the field and 7-10 from three-point range
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Richardson-Newton chipped in with 12 points, six boards, and a pair of steals
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Junior forward Jae Johns (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) came off the bench to score 10 points with five rebounds and was 5-6 from the floor in 18 minutes
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Freshman guard Jack Casale (Portland, Maine/Cheverus) contributed nine points, five caroms, and two assists
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Junior guard Ian Mileikis (Auburn, Maine) tallied eight points, eight boards, and four assists
LEADERS - NORWICH:
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Senior guard Ryan Booth (Northfield, Vt.) scored 21 points with six rebounds and three steals and also netted his 1,000th career point this afternoon
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Freshman guard Jesse Davis (Woodinville, Wash.) scored 16 points off a 7-13 shooting effort
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Senior center Mike Horgervorst (Leiden, South Holland) added 11 points, eight rebounds, and three assists
SENIOR MOMENT:
Prior to the start of the contest, Saint Joseph's held a brief ceremony to honor the program's two seniors: Richardson-Newton and Aaron Hall (Haverhill, Mass.). The pair of senior forwards were joined by family members and the SJC coaching staff at center court.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 19-4 in the history of the series with Norwich University and avenges a 75-72 setback at the hands of the Cadets earlier this season (1/6/18).
#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.
