WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – University of Saint Joseph (24-4) surged past Saint Joseph's College (18-10), 78-59, in the 2024 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Basketball Championship at James A. Calhoun Gymnasium on Saturday night.
The Blue Jays have now won three GNAC Championships and will be making their fourth NCAA Tournament appearance with the conference's automatic qualifier in tow. The full tournament bracket will be announced live on www.ncaa.com on Monday.
For the Monks, the loss signals the end of the 2023-24 campaign as well as the team's 11-game winning streak and the college basketball careers of grad Ashtyn Abbott (Farmingdale, Maine) and seniors Max Stapelfeld (Brookline, N.H.) and Camryn Yorke (Auburn, Maine).
HOW IT HAPPENED:
USJ held the lead for all but the first possession of the game and grabbed a 16-point advantage (36-20) after Lence Altenor capped a 12-2 run with a layup and 3:24 before the break. The Monks managed to cut the deficit to a manageable 38-33 deficit going into intermission with the help of a 13-2 outbreak. Junior guard Julian Llopiz (Boston, Mass.) netted eight during the SJC surge and led the Monks with 11 points in the first half.
Friedrich Feldrappe led the Blue Jays with 13 first-half points.
The wheels fell off for the Monks in the second half, as the Blue Jays came out firing and posted a 26-8 run en route to holding a 64-41 with 10:25 left in the game. USJ shot a scorching 54.8% (17-31) and held Saint Joseph's to a 31.0% (9-29) clip while outscoring the Monks by a 40-26 margin in the second half of a runaway victory.
STATS OF THE GAME:
USJ shot an even 50% (33-66) from the floor and held a 48-26 lead in points in the paint.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Sophomore guard John Paul Frazier (York, Maine) led the Monks with 16 points and added six rebounds and a pair of assists
- Llopiz capped the game with 13 points and three rebounds
- Yorke chipped in with 10 points and three rebounds
- Abbott tallied eight points, five boards, and three assists
- Freshman guard Remijo Wani (Portland, Maine) contributed eight points and five caroms
- Freshman guard Kolbyn Dunphe (Westbrook, Maine) added six rebounds, two assists, and a pair of steals
LEADERS – UNIVERSITY OF SAINT JOSEPH:
- Feldrappe led all scorers with 22 points and added nine rebounds and five assists while making 10-of-13 shots from the field
- Kevin Cummings came off the bench to net 16 points with four steals
- Jalen Samuels tallied 12 points, nine boards, and three assists
- Altenor added 11 points, four rebounds, and two steals
- Chaylyn Martin pulled down 10 rebounds with five assists, five blocks, two steals, and four points
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
Saint Joseph's is now 1-8 all-time versus University of Saint Joseph and has fallen to the Blue Jays in eight-consecutive meetings.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM:
MVP – Jalen Samuels, University of Saint Joseph
Chaylyn Martin, University of Saint Joseph
Friedrich Feldrappe, University of Saint Joseph
Remijo Wani, Saint Joseph's College
John Paul Frazier, Saint Joseph's College
Justice Washington, Albertus Magnus College
Jalen Olivero, Norwich University
