STANDISH, Maine – Anna Maria College (7-6, 4-3 GNAC) defeated Saint Joseph's College (3-12, 2-5 GNAC), 84-75, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball action on Mike McDevitt Court at the Harold Alfond Center on Tuesday evening.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Saint Joseph's played well out of the gates and held at least a share of the lead for the first 12 minutes before Gabe Armstead (Dallas, Ga.) made a pair of free throws to lift the AMCATS to a 24-22 lead with 7:30 before the break. Anna Maria held the edge until junior Drew Shea (Mount Desert Island, Maine) hit a three-pointer to tie the game at 37-apiece with 57 seconds remaining in the first half.
After sophomore guard Jakai Alexandre (Fitchburg, Mass.) was fouled on a three attempt and drained all three freebies, the visitors went into halftime clinging to a 40-39 lead.
The Monks reclaimed the advantage on their first possession of the second half when Shea hit a jumper 31 seconds in, but the AMCATS answered with a 10-2 run to earn a 50-43 cushion with 17:07 to play.
St. Joe's remained within striking distance until Anna Maria notched a late 9-3 run to obtain an 80-70 lead with 51 seconds to go. Senior guard Griffin Foley (Portland, Maine) netted a three-pointer to cut his team's deficit to 82-75 with 42 seconds on the clock, but Alexandre made two free throws 11 seconds later to all but ice the victory for the visitors.
STATS OF THE GAME:
The AMCATS made 20-of-24 shots from the free-throw line while the Monks went to the charity stripe 14 times with 11 conversions…Anna Maria shot a season-high 57.7% (30-52) from the field in the GNAC contest.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Senior guard Nicholas Curtis (Windham, Maine) tallied 15 points and seven assists and was 3-for-4 from downtown on the evening
- Freshman Teagan Hynes (York, Maine) scored 14 points with four assists, three rebounds, and two steals
- Foley added 12 points and four rebounds
- Shea contributed 11 points, eight boards, two assists, and a pair of blocked shots
LEADERS – ANNA MARIA:
- Senior guard Ralph Grasso, Jr. (Marlborough, Mass.) led all players with 22 points off a 9-for-12 shooting effort and pulled down eight rebounds
- Armstead tallied 20 points, six boards, and four blocked shots
- Alexandre chipped in with 15 points, three assists, and two steals
- Freshman Trevian Grenon (Sutton, Mass.) came off the bench to score eight points
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the loss, Saint Joseph's falls to 11-12 all-time versus Anna Maria College and has now suffered three-consecutive losses at the hands of the AMCATS.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will play at Dean College on Saturday at 1:00 PM.
