BIDDEFORD, Maine – Sophomore guard Jack Casale (Portland, Maine/Cheverus) was 9-for-13 from three-point range and netted a career-high 38 points to help lift Saint Joseph's College (4-2) past the University of New England (1-5), 103-87, in a non-conference men's basketball contest on Wednesday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Monks faced a 10-4 deficit four minutes into the game but fought back with a 9-3 run to knot the game at 13 apiece with 14:25 left in the first frame. The in-state rivals swapped baskets until Casale connected on a three-pointer, lifting the visitors to a 21-19 lead with 12:31 before the break, to put his team on top for the remainder of the evening.
For Saint Joseph's, a 54-44 halftime lead evaporated quickly early in the second half, as UNE fought back into contention by way of a 9-1 run to cut the SJC cushion down to two points (55-53) barely two minutes into the latter period. The Monks answered with a 17-3 surge of the their own to essentially put the game away.
STATS OF THE GAME:
Featuring a run-and-gun style offense, University of New England hoisted 57 shots from beyond the arc (the most by an opponent in SJC men's basketball history) but made just 13 field goals from downtown for a 22.8% clip…Saint Joseph's shot a scorching 52% (13-25) from three-point land with solid marks from the field (55.9%, 38-68) and the FT line (82.4%, 14-17)…The Monks registered 28 assists on 38 field goals.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Casale tied a program record with nine three-pointers (Steve Simonds '15 vs. Rivier, 2/4/15) and grabbed 11 rebounds to notch his third double-double of the season; he also contributed four assists and a pair of blocked shots
- Senior guard Darian Berry (Rochester, N.H.) added 23 points, seven boards and five assists
- Senior guard Ian Mileikis (Auburn, Maine) chipped in with 12 points, five caroms and four assists
- Freshman guard Nicholas Curtis (Windham, Maine) came off the bench to tally 10 points, six assists and four rebounds
- Freshman forward David Keohan (Saco, Maine) posted the first double-double of his career with 10 points and 10 rebounds while shooting 5-7 from the floor in just 17 minutes
LEADERS – UNIVERSITY OF NEW ENGLAND:
- Senior Daron Hodges, Jr. (West Orange, N.J.) came off the bench to net 17 points with six boards, two assists, and a pair of steals
- Sophomore Alex Kravchuk (Mansfield, Conn.) netted 16 points
- Senior Ryan Beatty (Rochester, Mass.) tallied 13 points and six rebounds
- Junior Avery DeBrito (New Bedford, Mass.) chipped in with four points, three assists, and five steals
NOTEWORTHY:
- Tonight's triple-digit point output marks the 198th occasion in which the Monks have scored 100 or more points in the 48-year history of the SJC men's basketball program; St. Joe's last reached the century mark in an 118-81 win over UNE in Standish on December 30th, 2017
- Casale's 38 points is the most scored by an SJC player since Steve Simonds '15 poured in 38 versus Lasell College on February 24th, 2015
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the win, Saint Joseph's is now 68-9 all-time versus the University of New England as the Monks extend their winning streak against the Nor'easters to 41 games. UNE has not defeated St. Joe's since January 25th, 1989.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will host Bates College at 3:00 PM on Saturday.