NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Albertus Magnus College men's basketball team knocked down a season-high 14 three-pointers and forced 23 turnovers en route to a 105-58 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) victory against Saint Joseph's (Maine) on Saturday afternoon at The Nest inside the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center.
With their fourth straight GNAC victory, the Falcons improve to 13-3 overall and 9-2 in conference play, while the Monks dropped their third in a row to move to 6-13 on the year and 3-9 in league action.
The Falcons never trailed during the opening the stanza, stretching their lead to as many as 23 at the break. Albertus Magnus ended the half with junior transfer Grant Ellis (Newark, N.J.) knocking down three straight three-pointers, the last of which beat the buzzer. Over the first three minutes of play, AMC built an early, 4-0, edge courtesy of layups from senior wing Marc Wilson (Jersey City, N.J.) and freshman point guard Ryan Pittman (Stratford, Conn.).
After the Monks came back to knot the tilt at six, the hosts built a steady edge through the half thanks to pressure defense and sharp shooting from deep. AMC forced 11 first-half turnovers and held the guests to 34 percent shooting. Both teams were hot from beyond the arc during the opening 20 minutes, as Albertus Magnus knocked down 8-of-22 attempts and Saint Joseph's converted 6-of-13 treys.
In the second half, the hosts shot an impressive 68 percent (22-of-32) from the field to pull away and score their sixth win a row versus the Monks. Five minutes into the frame, the Falcons reeled off a 9-0 run capped by an old-fashioned three-point play from Wilson to stretch their lead to 30 and take the wind out Saint Joseph's sails.
Offensively, Wilson and Ellis paced the Falcon attack with a game-high 20 points apiece. Wilson topped the 20-point plateau for the second game in a row and knocked down 7-of-8 shots in just 17 minutes of action. In his second game with the team, Ellis connected on six shots from beyond the arc and contributed four rebounds. Sophomore forward Erick Langston (Stratford, Conn.) has his strong game of the season, pouring in 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting off the bench. Sophomore forwardJaqhawn Walters and freshman forward Shontaey Lovell (Brooklyn, N.Y.) were the other Falcons in double figures with 10 points apiece. Lovell pulled down nine boards while Walters added six rebounds, six assists, and two steals.
Freshman guard Ben Malloy led the charge for the guests, scoring 17 points thanks to 5-of-9 shooting from three-point range. Freshman guard Ian Mileikis was the other Monk in double figures with 12 points on 5-of-13 shooting. Mileikis had a solid game for Saint Joseph's adding a team-high seven rebounds and five assists. Senior guard Craig Luschenat contributed nine points and three assists for the guests.
Both teams face GNAC rivals on the road on Wednesday when Saint Joseph's plays at Emmanuel College and Albertus Magnus faces Rivier University. Both contests are slated to start at 7:00 PM.
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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.
