NASHUA, N.H. – Saint Joseph's College (8-10, 2-2 GNAC) shot a scorching 64.7% (22-34) from the field in the second half to down Rivier University (3-14, 0-4 GNAC), 99-69, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball contest on Wednesday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The Monks trailed 37-36 heading into intermission but opened the second half with a 22-3 offensive surge en route to claiming a 58-40 lead with 14:51 left to play.
Saint Joseph's proceeded to lead by no fewer than 14 points for the remainder of the contest and held a game-high 36-point cushion after junior guard Tatsuaki Sakai (Ishikawa, Japan) made a layup with 1:03 remaining.
STATS OF THE GAME:
St. Joe's shot 57.6% (34-49) from the floor with an even 50% (18-36) mark from downtown on the evening while Rivier posted a 39.7% (27-68) rate overall with a 19.2% (5-26) performance from beyond the arc.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Junior guard Jack Casale (Portland, Maine/Cheverus) notched his 10th double-double of the season – and 23rd of his career – with 26 points and 15 rebounds and added six assists and a pair of steals
- Sophomore guard Nicholas Curtis (Windham, Maine) netted 18 points with three boards and three assists
- Sophomore guard Griffin Foley (Portland, Maine) scored 18 points and was 5-for-8 from downtown
- Sakai added 13 points, five caroms, five assists, and a pair of steals and was 5-for-7 from the floor
- Sophomore guard Zac Manoogian (Westbrook, Maine) came off the bench to net nine points with three assists and was 5-for-5 from the FT line
- Freshman Drew Shea (Mount Desert Island, Maine) contributed seven points, five rebounds, and two assists
LEADERS – RIVIER:
- Senior Issaiah Chappell (Sunapee, N.H.) recorded 26 points scored on 8-of-16 shooting from the floor
- Both senior Joshua O'Loughlin (Milford, N.H.) and freshman Nikolas Pignone (Stoneham, Mass.) finished with 10 points each
- Sophomore Pharaoh Davis (Plainville, Mass.) pulled down a team-high six rebounds
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 23-4 all-time versus Rivier University and has now defeated the Raiders in six-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2017-18 campaign.
NEXT!
Both squads return to GNAC action on Saturday afternoon. The Monks travel to Norwich University for a 1:00 PM contest while Rivier treks to Lasell University for a 3:00 PM tip-off.
