The St. Joseph's College Monks (15-5, 12-1 GNAC) avenged their lone loss in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play this season as they topped the Suffolk University Rams (5-13, 3-8 GNAC), 80-75 on Thursday evening in Standish, ME.
Sophomore Matt Pepdjonovic (Quincy, Mass.) fell just shy of a triple-double as he scored 18 points, collected 16 rebounds and also registered six assists in the contest for the Rams.
Senior Tyler Kelly (Saco, Me.) led all scorers with 27 points, connecting on six three-pointers in the contest as the Monks improve to a league best 12-1 record, while the Rams drop to 3-8 in GNAC play.
The game stood at a 33-33 deadlock after the first half, but the second stanza proved even more interesting as the conference-rivals combined to shoot 53.1% from downtown with 17 three-pointers made in the latter period. The Monks managed to pull away in the closing minutes with several key defensive stops and flawless free-throw shooting.
Saint Joseph's held a 54-45 advantage with 12:28 remaining, but the Rams made eight three pointers over the following 10 minutes and gained a 75-74 lead when senior Mike Fleming (Exeter, N.H.) drained a trifecta at the 2:36 mark.
Fortunately for the Royal Blue, the Fleming hoop was the Rams' last basket of the contest as the visitors went 0-4 from the floor in the closing minutes while the Monks rattled off six unanswered points, including four free throws by junior Chris Petzy (Kensington, N.H.), to seal the victory.
The Monks came out of the gates cold, as the SJC offense failed to click and shot just 36.3% (5-19) in the first 10 minutes of the game. As a result, the Rams maintained a lead for the better part of the half and held a team-high seven-point advantage – 19-12 – after Pepdjonovic scored a bucket in the paint at the 9:26 mark.
Saint Joseph's fired back with a 12-2 run over the subsequent three minutes to gain their first lead of the game. Kelley went off during the run by nailing three pointers on three consecutive trips down the floor, the last of which lifting the Royal Blue to a 24-21 edge with 6:29 left in the first.
Five unanswered points by Kelley lifted St. Joe's to a 33-27 lead with 1:19 remaining in the half, but the Rams netted six straight points of their own to knot the contest at 33-apiece heading into the break.
The Rams shot a solid 51.7% from the field in the first stanza while the Monks posted a better mark from beyond the arc (35.7%) than the floor (35.5%) in the first 20 minutes of play.
Kelley paced all first-half scorers with 16 points, while Pepdjonovic registered 14 in the opening period.
Senior Allan Ray (Lynn, Mass.) collected a loose ball and finished with a layup to put the Rams up by two to start the second stanza, but the Monks proceeded to gain the lead and held on to it until Halpin tied the game once again – 43-43 - with a three pointer at the 15:38 mark.
O'Brien, the Monks' leading scorer who was held scoreless in the first half, took over and scored seven straight points as part of an 11-2 run for the hosts, who had secured a 54-45 cushion after freshman Nicholas Jobin (Westbrook, Me.) netted a freebie with 12:28 remaining.
It seemed that neither team was able to make a stop, as the clubs combined to score 56 points during the remainder of the contest. The Monks held at least a two-point lead until junior Mike Gibbons (Ringwood, N.J.) made a three for the Rams to tie the game – 72-72 – with 4:25 left.
St. Joe's responded with a pair of freebies from Vazquez to regain the lead, but the slim cushion was short-lived as Fleming connected for his fifth trifecta of the night to put his team up 75-74 with 2:36 on the game clock.
Kelley scored a layup on the next SJC drive to put his team back on top with 1:48 to go and O'Brien swatted a shot by Pepdjonovic a minute later to preserve the lead. The Rams, forced to foul after missing several shots with the time dwindling, twice tapped Petzy, who made all four of his attempts to clinch the win.
Saint Joseph's shot 41.9% (26-62) overall, 42.9% (12-28) from beyond the arc, and 69.6% (16-23) from the FT line. Suffolk shot an even 50% (30-60) from the field, 46.2% (12-26) from three-point distance, and 75% (3-4) from the stripe.
The Monks held a slim 36-35 advantage on the glass and registered 19 assists on 26 field goals. The Rams recorded 23 assists on 30 buckets.
Fleming finished with 15 points for the Rams, shooting 5-for-9 from beyond the arc, while sophomore Colin Halpin (Melrose, Mass.) had 13 points. Junior Justin Barrall (East Hampton, Conn.) had nine points along with six assists for the Rams.
Suffolk will be back in action on Saturday as they host Emmanuel College in the Regan Gymnasium at 2:00pm.
(Portions of this story were courtesy of St. Joseph's College Sports Information)