PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Saint Joseph's College (13-4, 3-1 GNAC) outlasted Johnson & Wales University (8-11, 3-2 GNAC), 102-94, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball contest on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The game was a seesaw affair in the early going as the conference counterparts swapped the lead on nine occasions before the Monks took the helm for good – as it played out – with a scoring run starting with a traditional three-point play by sophomore Jack Casale (Portland, Maine/Cheverus) 7:16 before the break.
Trailing 30-29 after JWU senior forward Matt Madoian (North Kingstown, R.I.) hit a jump shot, Casale's layup and foul shot ignited the Monks' offense to the tune of a 28-10 tally, a run that propelled the visitors to an 18-point (57-39) advantage heading into halftime.
Saint Joseph's led by a game-high 20 points (67-47) after Casale converted a fast-break layup, but the Wildcats methodically climbed back into contention and, after posting a 19-7 surge spanning nearly five minutes, cut their deficit down to six points (93-87) with four minutes remaining.
With the hosts threatening, the Monks slowed the pace and held off the Wildcats with the help of a 5-for-6 free-throw shooting performance in the closing three minutes.
STATS OF THE GAME:
Saint Joseph's scored 70 points in the paint and shot 65.1% (41-63) from the field, including a 70.6% (24-34) clip in the first half.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Casale was 12-for-18 from the floor, 5-for-7 from three-point distance, and 8-for-11 from the FT line with 37 points, nine rebounds, and three assists
- Senior guard Darian Berry (Rochester, N.H.) was 13-18 from the field with 26 points, five boards, three steals, and two assists
- Senior guard Ian Mileikis (Auburn, Maine) added 19 points, three assists, and two rebounds and was 7-for-9 from the field
- Senior forward Marc Corey (Londonderry, N.H.) contributed 14 points, three caroms, and a pair of blocks and was 7-for-10 from the floor
LEADERS – JOHNSON & WALES:
- Sophomore guard Justin Bullock (Spring Valley, N.Y.) paced five JWU players in double-digits with 25 points
- Junior guard Brian Hogan-Gary (Staten Island, N.Y.) approached a double-double with 20 points and nine rebounds
- Senior forward Randall Ferdinand (Pembroke Pines, Fla.) contributed 17 points and five boards
- Madoian added 11 points, four rebounds, three steals, and three blocks
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the win, Saint Joseph's is now 11-14 all-time versus Johnson & Wales University, a team that had defeated the Monks in nine of the last 10 meetings prior to this afternoon. The victory in Providence is the Monks' first since January 21st, 2012 when SJC topped JWU by an 83-71 margin.
Saint Joseph's is the first GNAC team to score 100 points against the Wildcats since Albertus Magnus defeated JWU by the exact 102-94 score on February 13, 2016.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will host Rivier University on Wednesday at 7:00 PM.
