NEW HAVEN, Conn. - #21 Albertus Magnus College (14-2, 3-0 GNAC) edged Saint Joseph's College (7-10, 1-2 GNAC), 99-93 in overtime, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball contest on Saturday afternoon. Junior guard Jack Casale (Portland, Maine/Cheverus) scored a career-high 48 points in the setback.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Albertus Magnus, the reigning GNAC Champions, held a 41-32 lead going into intermission and extended the advantage to 16 points (52-36) when Tyreek Perkins (New Haven, Conn.) made a layup with 15:27 left in regulation. The Monks methodically chipped away at the deficit and trailed 56-54 after sophomore guard Nicholas Curtis (Windham, Maine) closed out an 18-4 run with a three-pointer at the 10:23 mark.
The Falcons proceeded to extend their lead to eight points (63-55) with 7:58 left, but the Monks went on to claim their first lead since early in the first half when Casale scored nine unanswered points to lift his team to a 70-69 edge with 3:56 on the clock.
Perkins tied the game with a three-pointer on the Falcons' following possession and the hosts were able to hold a lead of no greater than five points until Casale converted a layup to knot the game at 80-80 with 16 seconds remaining. Albertus had a chance to seal the victory in regulation but went 1-for-4 from the free-throw line in the closing 50 seconds.
The Falcons took control in overtime by scoring the first seven points – including a 5-for-5 effort from the FT line - in the extra frame. A pair of Griffin Foley (Portland, Maine) freebies with 53 seconds left made it a 94-90 game, but Albertus Magnus answered with four straight points over the following 42 seconds to all but clinch the conference triumph.
STATS OF THE GAME:
The Falcons made 13 of 17 free-throw attempts in overtime and were 31-for-44 from the charity stripe in the game overall…The Monks were 17-of-22 from the FT line on the afternoon…Albertus Magnus held the lead in points in the paint (44-28) and bench points (26-3)…Three SJC players fouled out in the setback.
BEYOND THE BOX:
Casale's total of 48 points is the third-highest mark in SJC men's basketball history and sixth-most scored in an NCAA DIII game this winter. Casale, who netted 45 in a victory over Bowdoin College last week, is currently the only NCAA men's basketball player – at any level – to have scored at least 45 points in two different contests this season.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Casale was 15-for-32 from the field, 7-for-16 from three-point land, and 11-for-14 from the FT line with 13 rebounds and a pair of assists
- Curtis netted 18 points with seven rebounds
- Foley added 16 points and a pair of boards
LEADERS – ALBERTUS MAGNUS:
- Perkins scored 32 points with six rebounds, six assists, three blocked shots, and a pair of steals
- Jahmerikah Green-Younger (Norwalk, Conn.) netted 24 points with four boards and three assists
- Terry Dawkins (Bronx, N.Y.) chipped in with 12 points, four rebounds, three steals, and a pair of assists
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
Saint Joseph's is now 10-16 all-time versus eight-time GNAC Champion Albertus Magnus College and has not defeated the Falcons on their home court since 2011, a streak of 10 games.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will play at Rivier University on Wednesday in a GNAC contest slated to begin at 5:00 PM.
