STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (1-1) defeated Thomas College (1-2), 89-79, in the men's basketball team's 2018-19 home opener at the Harold Alfond Center on Tuesday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Monks held the lead for the majority of the contest but the Terriers stayed within striking distance until the closing minute when the hosts went 4-6 from the FT line to claim a 10-point victory.
St. Joe's held a 37-36 edge heading into intermission and the game was tied 43-43 with 17:13 remaining. The hosts put up seven unanswered points in the following minute to take a 50-43 lead.
Holding a 62-58 cushion with 11:01 on the clock, the Monks posted a game-changing 13-3 run – capped by a David Keohan (West Newfield, Maine) three-point play – to claim a game-high 14-point (75-61) lead with 5:59 to play.
Not willing to go down without a fight, the Terriers cut a 10-point deficit down to an 85-79 margin with 59 seconds left on the tails of an 8-4 surge, but the Monks managed to keep the visitors off the board for the remainder of play to seal the triumph.
STATS OF THE GAME:
Saint Joseph's posted a 21-13 lead in bench points and netted 24 points off 19 Thomas turnovers on the evening.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Sophomore Jack Casale (Portland, Maine/Cheverus) – who boasted five dunks in the win - led all players with 25 points and added eight assists, four rebounds, and a pair of blocks
- Senior Darian Berry (Rochester, N.H.) netted 22 points with five rebounds and two steals
- Senior Ian Mileikis (Auburn, Maine) was 5-6 from the FT line with 13 points, five boards, and two dimes
- Senior Marc Corey (Londonderry, N.H.) chipped in with eight points, four caroms, and two assists
- Senior Jack Hostetler (Somers, Conn.) came off the bench to score seven points
- Freshman Nicholas Curtis (Windham, Maine) contributed six points
LEADERS – THOMAS:
- Freshman Jordan Goodson (Orlando, Fla.) scored 19 points off a 7-10 shooting performance with four boards, six assists, and four steals
- Freshman Evan Arsenault (Berlin, N.H.) was 5-6 from downtown with 18 points
- Sophomore Demetris Webster (Port St. Lucie, Fla.) chipped in with 13 points, four rebounds, and a pair of assists
- Sophomore Lovegeurson Fleurine (Fort Pierce, Fla.) added 10 points and eight rebounds
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
Saint Joseph's is now 69-6 all-time versus Thomas College and has defeated the Terriers in 44 of the last 45 meetings. Prior to tonight, these two teams had not faced off since February 3rd, 2007 when the Monks defeated the Terriers by a 91-41 score in Standish.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will compete in the Courtyard by Marriott Tournament at Roger Williams University this Friday and Saturday. The Monks open the two-day invitational Friday with a 7:30 PM game versus Tufts University.
