STANDISH, Maine – Johnson & Wales University (16-1, 10-0 GNAC) defeated Saint Joseph's College (6-11, 3-7 GNAC), 82-61, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball contest at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon.
THE LEAD
With Saint Joseph's leading 20-19 at the 7:53 mark of the first half, Johnson & Wales – which has now won 16 consecutive games - netted seven unanswered points as part of a 19-8 run that saw the visitors carry a 38-28 advantage into intermission.
The Monks kicked off the second stanza with five quick points to cut their deficit to five (38-33) with 19:07 remaining, but the Wildcats all but put the game away with a 30-7 surge while making eight of 11 field goal attempts over the subsequent eight minutes. St. Joe's committed four turnovers and went 2-6 from the floor during the same span.
Ball security played a major factor in today's outcome, as Johnson & Wales grabbed 13 steals and netted 23 points off 17 Saint Joseph's turnovers while turning the ball over just three times on the afternoon. The Wildcats – who entered today's contest ranked second in NCAA DIII Men's Basketball in steals (218) and steals per game (13.6) - also held a 20-2 advantage in fast-break points in the victory.
GAME HIGHLIGHTS
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S
- Sophomore forward Quinn Richardson-Newton (Saco, Maine) poured in a career-high 27 points with six rebounds and six assists while going 7-8 from the free throw line
- Freshman forward Marc Corey (Londonderry, N.H.) tallied 13 points with five boards and three assists
- Senior guard Craig Luschenat (Boston, Mass.) chipped in with six points and four caroms
- Freshman point guard Ian Mileikis (Auburn, Maine) contributed five points, four assists, and two rebounds
- Freshman guard Darian Berry (Rochester, N.H.) came off the bench to score five points with four boards and a pair of assists
LEADERS – JOHNSON & WALES
- Senior guard Quarry Greenaway (Westchester, N.Y.) led all players with 28 points and eight rebounds
- Senior guard Tom Garrick (Seekonk, Mass.) tallied 24 points, seven rebounds, and five steals
- Junior guard Anthony Jernigan (East Hartford, Conn.) added 11 points, eight rebounds, four boards and three steals
- Sophomore guard Jarell Lawson (Providence, R.I.) left the bench to score nine points with four caroms, three assists and a pair of steals
TEAM STATS
Saint Joseph's shot 51.1% (23-45) from the floor, 36.4% (4-11) from beyond the arc, and 68.8% (11-16) from the free throw line while Johnson & Wales posted performances of 49.2% (32-65), 45% (9-20) and 90% (9-10) from the field, downtown, and the charity stripe, respectively.
The Wildcats held the lead in assists (20-18), turnovers (3-17), points off turnovers (23-4), second-chance points (6-3), points in the paint (42-28), fast break points (20-2) and bench points (15-6) in the conference contest. The Monks posted a 30-28 lead on the glass in the losing bid.
NOTEWORTHY
Saint Joseph's is the first team to shoot over 50% against JWU this season and just the third – and first since Lewis & Clark on November 14th – to outshoot the Wildcats this winter…the Monks held Johnson & Wales to their third-lowest point total of the year and today's winning margin counts as the Wildcats' second-lowest of the 2015-16 campaign…JWU entered today's contest ranked as the top NCAA DIII team in scoring margin at 27.5 points per game.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 9-10 in the history of the series with Johnson & Wales University, a team that has defeated the Monks in each of the last five meetings dating back to the 2013-14 season. The Wildcats toppled the Monks by a 93-51 tally in Providence on January 5th.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's is set to host GNAC-foe Lasell College (13-4, 10-0 GNAC) at 7:00 PM on Wednesday. Johnson & Wales travels to Emmanuel College for a 5:30 PM conference contest on Thursday.
#GOMONKS
Follow Saint Joseph's Athletics on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Instagram!
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.
