STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (14-11, 10-7 GNAC) trumped Elms College (3-22, 2-16 GNAC), 80-60, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:
The Monks entered today's contest having already clinched the #2 seed in the GNAC North Division and, with the entire conference docket in the books as of this afternoon, learned their first-round opponent: Regis College, which claimed the #3 seed in the South Division.
Saint Joseph's will host Regis in a GNAC Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday at 7:30 PM.
SENIOR MOMENT:
Prior to the start of the contest Saint Joseph's held a brief ceremony to honor the Monks' four seniors: Ashtyn Abbott (Farmingdale, Maine), Bryton Early (Rollinsford, N.H.), Ian Jennings (Milton, Vt.), and Drew Shea (Mount Desert Island, Maine). This group of seniors played a significant role in the team's improvement, providing leadership and athleticism to help the Royal Blue improve from a 9-18 record last winter to a 14-11 slate this season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Saint Joseph's maintained a 38-29 lead going into intermission, but the Blazers cut their deficit down to just three points (49-46) on the heels of a 15-4 run capped by a Trey Sabia (West Simsbury, Conn.) three-pointer with 11:13 remaining.
The Monks managed to put the game away with a 25-7 offensive outburst spanning the subsequent eight minutes, as a Teagan Hynes (York, Maine) trifecta closed out the run with SJC ahead, 71-53, with 3:30 left.
STATS OF THE GAME:
St. Joe's enjoyed a banner afternoon from beyond the arc, as nine different players connected from deep and combined to shoot 42.5% (17-40) from long distance in the victory.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Jennings paced the Monks with a career-high 14 points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting and added five rebounds, two assists, and a pair of steals
- Graduate guard Nicholas Curtis (Windham, Maine) tallied 11 points, six assists, four rebounds, and three steals
- Abbott added nine points, three caroms, and a pair of assists
- Early chipped in with eight points, four boards, and two assists
- Hynes netted nine points with a pair of rebounds
- Graduate guard Griffin Foley (Portland, Maine) registered five points, seven assists, and five boards
LEADERS – ELMS:
- Graduate guard Tahquell Cadle (Bridgeport, Conn.) was 7-for-25 from the field with 17 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and three steals
- Junior guard Teron Griffin (Harlem, N.Y.) came off the bench to produce a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
Saint Joseph's is now 3-0 all-time versus Elms College.
