WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Wesleyan College (8-2) topped Saint Joseph's College (3-8), 109-83, in a non-conference men's basketball game in the Eastern Connecticut State University Tournament on Friday evening.
Saint Joseph's will face SUNY Poly at Eastern Connecticut in the tourney consolation contest tomorrow at 12:00 PM. EConn edged SUNY Poly, 75-71, in the other tourney tilt this afternoon and will face Wesleyan in the championship game at 2:00 PM.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The game was close early as the Monks trailed by a 23-17 margin after Ashtyn Abbott (Farmingdale, Maine) hit a jump shot with 12:59 left in the first half. Wesleyan followed with a game-changing 17-4 run that was capped by a Jared Langs jumper with 6:01 before the break. The Cardinals went on to hold a double-digit lead for the remainder of the game, including a 55-40 advantage heading into intermission.
Wesleyan held a game-high 30-point cushion when Langs hit a jump shot to lift his team to a 99-69 lead with 5:42 left in the contest.
STATS OF THE GAME:
Featuring a decided height advantage, the Cardinals turned a 45-26 lead in rebounds into a 66-34 advantage in points in the paint…Wesleyan also held the lead in points off turnovers (27-14), second chance points (20-10), and fast break points (19-2) in the victory.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Junior Julian Llopiz (Boston, Mass.) came off the bench to net 16 points off 5-for-11 three-point shooting
- Abbott tallied 15 points and five rebounds while making 7-of-9 shots from the field
- Sophomore John Paul Frazier (York, Maine) scored 14 points with three assists and a pair of boards
- Senior Camryn Yorke (Auburn, Maine) 4-for-6 from the floor with four caroms and three rebounds
- Freshman Remijo Wani (Portland, Maine) chipped in with seven points, five rebounds, four assists, and a pair of steals
LEADERS – WESLEYAN:
- Shane Regan was 11-for-14 from the floor with 26 points, four assists, three boards, and three steals
- Langs registered a double-double with 20 points and 12 rebounds
- Jackson Cormier added 20 points off an 8-for-11 shooting effort with six caroms and four steals
- Nicky Johnson contributed with 20 points, seven assists, three rebounds, and a pair of steals
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 0-3 in the history of the series with Wesleyan College. The Monks and Cardinals last met on January 29th, 2004, when Wesleyan defeated St. Joe's by a 99-67 margin on their home court.
