Rams Clip Monks in GNAC Quarterfinal, 69-65

Rams Clip Monks in GNAC Quarterfinal, 69-65

STANDISH, Maine – #6 Suffolk University (15-11) outlasted third-seeded Saint Joseph's College (16-10), 69-65, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball tournament quarterfinal contest at the Harold Alfond Center on Tuesday night.

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:

With the result, Suffolk moves on to the semifinal round of the GNAC tourney and will play at #2 Johnson & Wales University on Thursday evening, time TBD.

For Saint Joseph's, the loss signals the end of the 2017-18 season as well as the collegiate careers of the Monks' two seniors: Quinn Richardson-Newton (Saco, Maine) and Aaron Hall (Haverhill, Mass.), a pair of forwards who have combined to start 98 games on the post over the last two seasons.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Rams claimed the only double-digit lead of the night – 63-53 – when freshman guard Brendan Mulson (Albany, N.Y.) hit a layup with 3:05 remaining, but the Monks climbed back to within five points with a 7-2 run, as a conventional three-point play from first-year Jack Casale (Portland, Maine/Cheverus) made it a 65-60 game with 1:38 left.

Casale connected on a pair of field goals in the closing minute, the latter making it a 66-64 game with 17 seconds left, and junior guard Ian Mileikis (Auburn, Maine) made a free throw seven seconds later to make it a one-point game.

Forced to foul, the Monks tagged Suffolk guard Michael Hagopian (Watertown, Mass.), who missed the second freebie to leave the door open for the hosts. But a turnover on the ensuing fast break down the court proved costly, and Rams sophomore guard Thomas Duffy (Fairfield, Conn.) made a pair of free throws to clinch the win for the visitors.

STAT OF THE GAME:

Saint Joseph's made just one three-pointer on 12 attempts in the loss while Suffolk shot 47.6% (10-21) from beyond the arc in the tourney triumph.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

  • Mileikis netted 19 points with four boards and three assists
  • Junior forward Jae Johns (Lindenhurst, N.Y.) made the most of his 15 minutes off the bench, going 5-8 from the field and 4-5 from the stripe en route to scoring a career-high 14 points
  • Casale added 10 points, four rebounds, and a pair of assists
  • Junior guard Darian Berry (Rochester, N.H.) pulled down 10 rebounds and scored five points
  • Hall scored eight points with five rebounds
  • Richardson-Newton chipped in with four points and seven caroms

LEADERS – SUFFOLK:

  • Hagopian was 6-10 from three-point distance with five rebounds and two assists
  • Duffy netted 22 points with seven boards and three dimes
  • Junior guard Jim Djema (Greenwich, Conn.) and sophomore guard George Grillakis (Lowell, Mass.) chipped in with eight points apiece

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 16-6 in the history of the series with Suffolk University and suffers consecutive losses at the hands of the Rams for the first time in the history of the matchup.

 

#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.