STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (12-13, 6-5 GNAC) capped the 2019-20 regular season with an 88-70 triumph over Lasell University (9-16, 6-5 GNAC) in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball play at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon.
With the victory, Saint Joseph's - which faced the real possibility of missing the playoffs altogether less than two weeks ago before rattling off four-consecutive conference wins - claims the #5 seed in the GNAC Tournament and will play at #4 Anna Maria College in quarterfinal action on Tuesday at 7:00 PM. Lasell falls to the #6 slot and will play at #3 Emmanuel College on Tuesday at 5:30 PM.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Lasell opened the contest with seven unanswered points and held a 36-29 lead after junior forward Jonathan Friberg (North Attleboro, Mass.) hit a three-pointer with 6:41 left in the first half. The complexion of the contest changed quickly however, as Saint Joseph's outscored the visiting Lasers by a 19-2 margin during the remainder of the first frame and held a 48-38 advantage at the break.
The Monks went on to lead by at least six points for the rest of the contest and held a game-high 21-point (88-67) advantage after freshman Ian Jennings (Milton, Vt.) closed out a 25-12 run with a layup at the 1:28 mark.
STATS OF THE GAME:
The Monks shot 54.0% (34-63) from the field while the Lasers posted a 44.1% (30-68) mark from the floor…St. Joe's also held a 14-6 lead in bench points.
BROKEN RECORD:
With his second three-pointer of the game, sophomore guard Nicholas Curtis (Windham, Maine) broke the Monks' single-season three-point field goals record. Curtis entered the game with 102 trifectas made this winter and tied the team record - previously held by Matthew Medeiros '14, who netted 103 treys in 2014 - with his first long ball at the 2:00 minute mark of the first half. He drilled his 104th three ball of the season with 4:29 left in the second half.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Junior guard Jack Casale (Portland, Maine/Cheverus) poured in 42 points with six rebounds, five assists, and two steals
- Sophomore guard Nicholas Curtis (Windham, Maine) scored 14 points with eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals
- Junior guard Tatsuaki Sakai (Ishikawa, Japan) contributed 10 points, three boards, three assists, and two steals
- Sophomore guard Zac Manoogian (Westbrook, Maine) scored eight points with a pair of steals
- Freshman guard Joseph Nuttall (Holden, Mass.) came off the bench to net six points with four rebounds and three steals
LEADERS – LASELL:
- Junior guard Kevin Nunez (Dorchester, Mass.) paced the Lasers with 19 points and added seven rebounds, four steals, and a pair of assists
- Junior forward Kevin Vanderhorst (Lawrence, Mass.) posted a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds
- Junior forward EJ Day (Norwalk, Conn.) scored 15 points with six rebounds, nine assists and two steals
- Friberg chipped in with 13 points, six caroms, and two steals
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the win Saint Joseph's improves to 14-14 all-time versus Lasell University, a team that defeated the Monks by a 98-97 margin in the last meeting between the conference rivals (1/8/19 @ Lasell).
