STANDISH, ME - Tyler Kelley '11 (Saco, ME) scored a team-high 16 points and Alberto Rue '10 (Jamaica Plain, MA) was 4-5 from three-point range and added 14 in an 83-64 Saint Joseph's (6-1, 3-0 GNAC) victory over Suffolk University (4-6, 0-2 GNAC) at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon.
The Rams, a young team featuring three juniors, six sophomores,
five freshmen and no seniors, were led offensively by freshman
center Matt Pepdjonovic (Quincy, MA), who tallied
a game-high 26 points on an 11-14 shooting performance and added 9
rebounds and 3 blocked shots to his stat line in the losing effort.
Luke Barrett '12 (Cincinnati, OH) scored 9 points
and Sam Hutchins '12 (Andover, MA) dealt 7 assists
for Suffolk.
The final score doesn't indicate that the first half was closely
contested, as the Rams managed to maintain a single-digit deficit
for much of the opening stanza. The Monks pulled away in the final
minutes of the first period and held a comfortable advantage
thereafter.
The Rams' only lead of the game occurred on their first possession,
as Mario Massimino '11 (East Haven, CT) made a
layup on his team's opening drive. The Monks displayed some of
their offensive firepower in the next four minutes, as the Royal
Blue notched a 14-2 run, which included three-pointers from Kelley
and Zach O'Brien '12 (Schenectady, NY).
Trailing 28-17 with 9:48 left in the opening half, Suffolk gave St.
Joe's a taste of its own medicine with a 9-0 outburst to cut the
deficit to two points. Pepdjonovic started the rally with a
traditional three-point play and Barrett capped the stretch with
treys on back-to-back Ram possessions to make the score 28-26 with
7:27 before the break.
The Monks pushed their lead back to double digits in the following
two minutes, however, as Chris Petzy '12 (Kensington, NH) scored
five points, including a catch-and-release three off an O'Brien
pass, and Rashon Jones '11 (Bridgeport, CT) drilled a long ball of
his own to put the hosts up 38-28 with 5:29 remaining in the first
period.
Four minutes later, the scoreboard showed that Suffolk had cut the
SJC lead to five points, 40-35, after Mike
Gibbons '12 (Ringwood, NJ), the leading three-point
shooter in the GNAC, sank a shot from beyond the arc. The Monks
answered with an 8-0 run to close out the half, as Tom Ray '12
(Cape Elizabeth, ME) hit a jumper, Ray Eatmon '10 (Huntington, NY)
converted a three-point play and Rue, after stalling for the final
shot, dropped a three-pointer to provide St. Joe's with a 48-35
lead heading into the locker room.
The Monks went on to lead by double-digits for the vast majority of
the second stanza and held a game-high 20-point cushion after Rue
connected on a three at the 9:39 mark.
St. Joe's featured a balanced offensive front, as seven SJC players
tallied 8 or more points in the victory. Eatmon, 6-7 from the FT
line, netted 12 points, 6 caroms, 4 assists and 2 blocks, while
Petzy and Anthony Savino '11 (Portland, ME/Cheverus) both chipped
in with 9 points for the Monks. Jones added 8 points, 4 boards, 4
assists and 2 steals and Ray scored a career-best 8 points with a
pair of steals in the triumph.
Craig Merrick '13 (Mashantucket, CT) made a pair of free throws
late in the first half to notch his first collegiate points and
Jack LaFreniere '13 (Alton, NH) made his SJC basketball debut in
the closing minutes of the conference contest.
St. Joe's shot 54.7% (29-53) from the field, 52.6% (10-19) from
beyond the arc, and 93.8% (15-16) from the FT line, while Suffolk
shot 46.4% (26-56) overall, 33.3% (5-15) from three-point distance
and 63.6% (7-11) from the charity stripe.
For the Monks, all three shooting percentages rank as season highs
and the free throw mark ties the program record for single-game
success. The 93.8% conversion rate was originally set in a 63-62
win over Bryant University on January 13th, 1986.
St. Joe's has converted better than 50% of its shots from the field
in three straight games and four overall so far this season. The
Monks have posted at least a 45% mark in all seven contests.
The contest wraps up the 2009 portion of the schedule for both
teams, as Saint Joseph's will host Farmingdale State (NY) on
Saturday, January 2nd at 3:00 PM and Suffolk will host Lasell on
Saturday, January 9th at 2:00 PM.
(Story courtesy of St. Joseph's College (Me.) Sports Information)