STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (14-9, 10-2 GNAC) outlasted Mitchell College (7-16, 4-8 GNAC), 72-67, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball contest on Mike McDevitt Court at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday.
SENIOR MOMENT:
Prior to the start of the contest the Monks held a brief ceremony to honor the program's two seniors: Max Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) and Camryn Yorke (Auburn, Maine). With the Class of 2024 on the court, the Monks have posted a 27-19 (.631) mark in GNAC play with conference tournament appearances – and first-round victories - in each of the last two seasons
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The conference counterparts played through seven ties and 12 lead changes during the first half and the opening six minutes of the second before sophomore Wani Donato (Portland, Maine) made two free throws to put his team on top (42-41) for good, as it played out, with 14:31 remaining.
Ahead by a 48-45 margin with 11:08 left, the Monks notched a 15-6 run that included 13 points – and three three-pointers – from junior guard Julian Llopiz (Boston, Mass.), who finished the outbreak with a trifecta and the hosts on top by a game-high 10 points (63-53) with 5:47 left.
The Mariners fought back into contention with six straight points and cut their deficit to 63-59 after Jaylyn Clardy (Pensacola, Fla.) hit a three-pointer with 3:07 left, but Saint Joseph's received trifectas from Llopiz and junior Teagan Hynes (York, Maine) on consecutive possessions to put the game out of reach.
STATS OF THE GAME:
The Monks' shooting from beyond the arc carried the day, as they posted a 42.3% (11-26) from downtown compared to the Mariners' 23.5% (4-17) clip from deep…St. Joe's won the game despite committing 24 turnovers, which resulted in 27 Mitchell points.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Llopiz came off the bench to score 22 points off a 5-for-10 three-point shooting effort in just 22 minutes
- Sophomore John Paul Frazier (York, Maine) added 14 points and three rebounds
- Freshman Remijo Wani (Portland, Maine) scored 13 points with five rebounds
- Wani Donato posted a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds and added two rejections
- Yorke chipped in with four points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals
LEADERS – MITCHELL:
- Clardy was 4-for-18 from the floor with 15 points, three boards, two assists, and a pair of steals
- Senior Dontae Pollard (Fort Walton Beach, Fla.) netted 14 points with four steals and three assists
- Freshman Elijah Miller (Ellington, Conn.) notched a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds
- Sophomore Brandon Lee (Stockton, Calif.) added 13 points, seven boards, and six assists
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
Saint Joseph's is now 2-0 all-time versus Mitchell College, a team the Monks last played during the 2006-07 campaign.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's closes out the regular season with a pair of GNAC games on the road, starting with a contest at Norwich University on Tuesday at 7:00 PM. The Monks travel to Dean College on Saturday for a 3:00 PM tip-off.
