STANDISH, Maine – Albertus Magnus College (8-2, 5-1 GNAC) overcame a 17-point halftime deficit to defeat Saint Joseph's College (4-9, 1-5 GNAC), 56-52, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball action at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore Quinn Richardson-Newton (Saco, Maine) posted the first double-double of his collegiate career with 16 points and 12 rebounds in the hard-fought loss.

THE LEAD

The conference matchup was very much a tale of two completely different halves. The In the first frame, the Monks enjoyed perhaps their finest 20 minutes of play this season, as the hosts shot 59.1% (13-22) from the floor – including a 5-7 (71.4%) three-point performance – en route to taking a 39-22 lead into intermission. The Falcons endured a difficult half, shooting just 23.7% (9-38) overall with a 3-15 effort from downtown.

The second stanza was virtually the opposite statistically. Albertus recovered by shooting 46.4% (13-28) from the field while outscoring St. Joe's by a 34-13 margin over the closing period. The Monks were unable to maintain the momentum from the first half and shot only 14.8% (4-27) from the field, including a 1-10 three-point effort, in the second half.

The Falcons opened the second frame on a 16-4 run, cutting the SJC advantage to 43-40 with 11:16 remaining. The Monks managed to hold at worst a share of the lead until sophomore Jaqhawn Walters (Hartford, Conn.) put the visitors on top, 54-52, by making a layup with 59 seconds on the clock.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS:

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S

• Freshman Ian Mileikis (Auburn, Maine) posted 14 points with four rebounds
• Freshman Darian Berry (Rochester, N.H.) contributed nine points with a trio of three-pointers off the bench
• First-year Marc Corey (Londonderry, N.H.) chipped in with seven points and six rebounds

LEADERS – ALBERTUS MAGNUS

• Freshman Shontaey Lovell (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tallied 16 points, 11 rebounds, four blocks and three assists
• Walters – who scored the final seven points in the contest - also produced a double-double with 15 points, 12 caroms, and three assists
• Sophomore Chaunce Dunbar (Windsor, Conn.) contributed 12 points and a pair of steals

TEAM STATS

Saint Joseph's shot 34.7% (17-49) from the floor, 35.3% (6-17) from three-point distance and 85.7% (12-14) from the free-throw line. Albertus Magnus shot 33.3% (22-66) overall, 23.1% (6-26) from downtown and 66.7% (6-9) from the FT line.

The Falcons held the lead in rebounds (46-26), assists (14-12), turnovers (10-12), blocks (5-1), steals (7-2), second-chance points (14-0) and points in the paint (28-18). The Monks led in points off turnovers (17-11) and bench points 11-5 in the loss.

NOTEWORTHY

For Albertus Magnus, today's point total is the fewest since the Falcons suffered a 74-55 loss at the hands of the Monks on February 1st, 2014…Albertus also scored just 22 first-half points that day.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

With the result, Saint Joseph's falls to 8-12 in the history of the series with Albertus Magnus College. The Falcons have now defeated the Monks in four consecutive meetings, dating back to the 2013-14 campaign, and 10 of the last 11 games between the GNAC foes overall.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's hosts GNAC-rival Rivier University on Wednesday at 7:00 PM while Albertus Magnus plays Baruch College in a non-conference matchup on Tuesday at 7:00 PM.

#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.