PAXTON, Mass. – #4 Anna Maria College (11-15) defeated #5 Saint Joseph's College (12-14), 82-66, in the first round of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Basketball Tournament on Tuesday evening. The loss signals the end of the 2019-20 season for the Monks.

Anna Maria returns to action on Thursday for the semifinal round, as they travel to face top-seeded University of Saint Joseph's in a 7:00 PM start.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The playoff contest was back and forth through the entire first half and even late into the second with a total of nine lead changes throughout the game. 
• The AMCATS gained the upper hand early on with big man Mike Rapoza (Charlton, MA) scoring the first 10 points of the game. The Monks kept it close throughout the entire first half forcing five lead changes. Anna Maria did, however, hold the lead more often than not and even built a seven-point lead going into the half.
• Rapoza took a game high of 12 points and seven rebounds into the locker room. SJC's Griffin Foley had the team high going into the break with six points.
• The second half was a continuation of the first with another four lead changes within the first 14 minutes into the half. When the AMCATS built a slight advantage the Monks 47 3-pt shooting percentage kept them coming back over and over again. They displayed impeccable ball movement to take what seemed like always a wide-open shot.
• St. Joe's eventually cooled off when it got to the 6:04 mark with the score at 64-65 in the 'CATS favor. The Monks would go scoreless the rest of the game besides two free throws with 52 seconds left. While SJC was struggling to regain their groove the AMCATS built onto their lead with free throws to get to the final of 82-66.
• Jakai Alexandre (Fitchburg, MA), Rapoza, and Bobby Perette (Marshfield, MA) all finished with 14 points in the second half alone. For Saint Joseph's Nicholas Curtis finished with nine points to lead the team in the half.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• Griffin Foley finished tied for the team high with Nicholas Curtis at 14 apiece and each also had 2 assists.
• Jack Casale pulled down 14 rebounds with nine points, three assists, two steals, and a pair of blocks.
• Rapoza finished with a game high 26 points, 17 rebounds, and 3 steals.
• Alexandre ended just one assist shy of a double-double with 19 points and 9 assists.
• Perette tallied 18 points on 3-9 from behind the arc to go along with his 4 rebounds.

COURTESY OF ANNA MARIA COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION