STANDISH, Maine – #3 Saint Joseph's College (18-9) will play at #1 University of Saint Joseph (23-4) in the 2024 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Basketball Championship on Saturday at 7:00 PM.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The winner of Saturday's GNAC Championship game earns an automatic berth into the 2024 NCAA DIII Men's Basketball Championship, which begins on March 1st.
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
Saint Joseph's advances to the GNAC Championship for the first time since 2014 after posting a pair of one-point victories in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds over #6 Emmanuel College (74-73) and Albertus Magnus College (88-87) on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. Sophomore guard John Paul Frazier (York, Maine) scored 19 points in the victory over #6 Emmanuel and junior guard Julian Llopiz (Boston, Mass.) scored a career-high 27 points in the thrilling triumph at #2 Albertus Magnus, the reigning GNAC Champion.
University of Saint Joseph cruised past #8 Rivier University, 97-65, in the quarterfinal round and outlasted #5 Norwich University, 69-60, in semifinal action on Thursday. In the win over Rivier, Friedrich Feldrappe led six Blue Jays in double digits with 19 points off an 8-for-8 shooting performance while Jalen Samuels paced USJ with 19 points and 20 rebounds in the semifinal triumph over Norwich.
BRACKETOLOGY:
Play-In – Monday, Feb. 19
#7 Regis def. #10 Dean, 88-61 | BOX
#8 Rivier def. #9 Colby-Sawyer, 98-70 | BOX
Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Feb. 20
#1 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) def. #8 Rivier, 97-65 | BOX
#2 Albertus Magnus def. #7 Regis, 79-67 | BOX
#3 Saint Joseph's (Maine) def. #6 Emmanuel, 74-73 | BOX
#5 Norwich def. #4 Lasell, 68-67 | BOX
Semifinals – Thursday, Feb. 22
#1 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) def. #5 Norwich, 69-60 | BOX
#3 Saint Joseph's (Maine) def. #2 Albertus Magnus, 88-87 | BOX
Championship – Saturday, Feb. 24
#3 Saint Joseph's (Maine) at #1 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), 7 p.m.
SEASON AT A GLANCE:
Saint Joseph's:
- The Monks lead the GNAC in assists per game (19.4), rank second in 3FG made per game (10.4), 3FG attempted per game (29.6), and rebound margin per game (4.9), and sit in third in points (2,138), points per game (79.2), FG made per game (29.2), FG% (45.3%), and rebounds per game (38.8)
- Saint Joseph's has won 11-consecutive games – the longest streak since the Monks won 23 straight in 1999 - and 15 of the last 16 since December 30th
- Five SJC players average at least 10 points per game with seven scoring 6.0 or more per contest overall
- Saint Joseph's has made 10 or more three-pointers in 15 different games this winter
- The Monks have an 8-5 record on the road this season and average 80.2 PPG in away contests
University of Saint Joseph:
- The Blue Jays lead the conference in points (2,302), points per game (85.3), FG% (49.3%), 3FG% (39.4%), defensive rebounds per game (28.4), and average home attendance (559) and rank second in the GNAC in FG made per game (30.4), FT made per game (16.3), FT attempted per game (21.9), FT% (74.6%), and fewest turnovers per game (11.9)
- University of Saint Joseph is ranked sixth in NCAA DIII Men's Basketball in 3FG%
- USJ has won 15 consecutive games and capped the 2023-24 season having won 62-consecutive regular season conference contests
- Six USJ players are averaging at least 6.0 PPG, including three who net 13.0 or better per contest
- The Blue Jays are 12-2 at home this winter and averaging 86.6 points per game at James A. Calhoun Gymnasium
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Saint Joseph's:
- (#24) Sophomore guard John Paul Frazier (York, Maine) is averaging 14.9 PPG and ranks second in the conference – and fifth in the nation - in three pointers made (85) and fourth in the league in FT% (88.5%, 54-61)
- (#23) Graduate forward Ashtyn Abbott (Farmingdale, Maine) contributes 11.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game; he ranks 10th in the GNAC with a 52.1% (122-234) FG%
- (#10) Freshman guard Remijo Wani (Portland, Maine) has earned three GNAC Rookie of the Week accolades and averages 11.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists
University of Saint Joseph:
- (#25) Senior guard Tyree Mitchell leads (East Hartford, Conn.) leads the Blue Jays with 17.1 PPG and tops the GNAC in 3FG% (50.0%, 53-106)
- (#10) Senior guard Jalen Samuels (Franklin, Mass.) is averaging 16.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game and ranks second in the conference in free throws made (119), fifth in rebounds (204), and sixth in FG% (54.7%, 164-300) and rebounds per game (7.6)
- (#11) Sophomore guard Lence Altenor (Everett, Mass.) is contributing 13.1 PPG and 3.4 RPG and leads the GNAC in FT% (91.8%, 67-73) and ranks fourth in 3FG% (42.4%, 56-132)
ATTITUDE REFLECTS LEADERSHIP:
Saint Joseph's: Tyler Ackley – 3rd season (42-39, .519)
Named as the fifth head coach in the history of the Monks Men's Basketball program in September 2021, Ackley endured a 9-18 opening season before leading the Royal Blue to a 15-12 mark last winter and an 18-9 line, including a 12-2 record in GNAC play, this season.
Ackley comes to Saint Joseph's from Colby College, where he served as The John "Swisher" Mitchell Assistant Coach for four years and, in 2020, helped lead the Mules to their first-ever NESCAC Championship game appearance, as well as their first NCAA Tournament berth in 23 years.
University of Saint Joseph: Glen Miller (20th Season, 3rd as Head Coach at USJ; 308-217, .587)
Glen Miller – former Associate Head Men's Basketball Coach at the University of Connecticut – is in his third season as Head Coach at USJ in after three seasons as full-time Associate Head Coach.
Last year, Miller guided the Blue Jays during a historic season that saw USJ ascend to the No. 1 nationally-ranked team while posting a 29-2 record, the most wins in a single season in program history, including a perfect 18-0 mark in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play. Though the Blue Jays fall to Albertus Magnus in the GNAC Championship, they continued their historic season after earning an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament. After defeating Chatham University in the First Round and Williams College in the Second Round, USJ advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before falling to #9 Wheaton (Ill.), 74-67.
THE LAST TIME WE MET (USJ 92, SJC 73, Standish, 12/2/23):
University of Saint Joseph led from wire to wire and opened the contest by making 7-of-8 shots from the floor en route to securing a 19-10 advantage with 14:11 left in the first quarter. The Monks kept pace and trailed by seven points (34-27) after grad Ashtyn Abbott (Farmingdale, Maine) hit a pair of free-throw shots with 5:35 before the break.
Saint Joseph's faced a 51-33 deficit at the start of the second stanza and cut the USJ lead down to 10 points (64-54) with 13:11 left, but the Monks would get no closer to the lead however, as the Blue Jays maintained a double-digit advantage – including a game-high 26-point (90-64) cushion with 2:38 on the clock - until the final whistle.
The Blue Jays shot 63.3% (19-30) from the floor in the first half and 55.9% (33-59) from the field overall…The Monks faced an uphill battle after shooting 29.7% (11-37) from the floor in the first half and capped the conference opener with a 36.8% (25-68) success rate.
Wani led the Monks with 13 points and added two assists and a pair of steals while Altenor led all scorers with 20 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the floor.
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
Saint Joseph's is 1-7 all-time versus University of Saint Joseph and has fallen to the Blue Jays in seven-consecutive meetings.
GNAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY:
The Monks have never missed the GNAC Tournament in 16 seasons as a member of the conference and have won at least one postseason contest in three of their last four trips. Saint Joseph's is 16-14 in GNAC tourney play with a GNAC Championship in 2009 and appearances in the title game in 2011 and 2014.
University of Saint Joseph has played in each of the last four GNAC Championship games, as the Blue Jays fell to Albertus Magnus in 2019 and claimed their first conference crown with an 88-84 title bout triumph over the Falcons in 2020. USJ toppled Albertus, 94-67, in the 2022 GNAC Championship before falling to the Falcons, 83-79, in the 2023 title bout.
Friday's tourney matchup marks the fourth time the Blue Jays and Monks have met in the conference tournament. USJ has ended the Monks' season in three of the last four tourney meetings, including a 91-86 semifinal decision in 2019, a 95-45 quarterfinal defeat in 2022, and an 88-49 semifinal triumph last year.
