Senior Jhonneris Mendez (Boston, Mass.) made a game saving steal with four seconds on the clock as the Suffolk University Men's Basketball team defeated the Albertus Magnus College Falcons, 92-91 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Thursday evening.

Senior Colin Halpin (Melrose, Mass.) was 4-for-8 from three-point land in a 19-point second half to lead the Rams past the Falcons, who entered the game with the GNAC's best record.

Halpin finished the evening with a team-high 26 points for the Rams.

The win moves Suffolk to a 6-7 mark in the GNAC and 8-12 record on the season, while Albertus falls to 13-2 in-conference and 18-3 on the year.

Junior Darius Watson (New Britain, Conn.) led all scorers with 30 points, while senior Jefferson Lora (Bronx, N.Y.) had a double-double scoring 11 points and collecting 17 rebounds on the evening, but it was the Rams' ability to hit the three in the second period that was the difference.

It was a close game throughout the forty minutes of action as both teams held a lead on eight separate occasions, while neither was able to distance themselves from the other by a margin larger than six points.

Freshman Aury Leyva (Miami, Fla.) connected on a pair of free-throws with 1:40 remaining in the first half to tie the game at 37-37. Watson would score four points in the closing minute of the half, while senior Kevin Rogers (Bridgeport, Conn.) hit a pair of free-throws that helped give the Falcons a 43-40 edge heading into halftime.

Senior Chris Torres (Brockton, Mass.) evened the game back up for the Rams at the 17:26 mark in the second half for a 47-47 game.

From there, Halpin started to heat up. The senior forward would connect on four three-pointers in a minute and forty second span to would put Suffolk up 56-53. Torres would cap off the Suffolk charge with two more of his game's 12 points to give the Rams a 59-53 edge.

Albertus would answer with there with an 11-0 run to regain a five-point lead with senior Arshad Jackson (Hartford, Conn.) making both of his free-throws and adding a field goal to compliment some more offense by Watson. Watson was able to cap off the run with a dunk as he took a feed down low by freshman James Jennings (Stratford, Conn.).

A pair of free-throws by Jennings with 1:47 left on the clock would cut a five-point Suffolk lead down to 88-87.

After a miss on a bonus shot from the free-throw line by Suffolk, the Falcons would take the ball down the other end with Watson connecting on a five-foot jumper to give the visitors a one-point lead with a little over a minute on the clock.

Senior Matt Pepdjonovic (Quincy, Mass.) would answer late in the game as he put in back-to-back shots down low matched up in the paint.

Pepdjonovic would score only his second bucket of the game with forty-seven seconds on the clock before the Falcons and Watson would come right back and answer.

Pepdjonovic's next basket turned out to be the game-winner as he was fed inside by freshman Caleb Unni (Winchester, Mass.) with eighteen seconds on the clock.

Albertus got the ball back but a double team on Watson near halfcourt, allowed Mendez to jar the ball loose and come up with the defensive save for the Rams in the closing seconds.

Sophomore Matt Powers (Westwood, Mass.) finished the night with 18 points for the Rams. Powers played a major role in Suffolk's second half shooting surge as he was 4-for-6 from the three-point land, once again energizing the Rams from off the bench.

Unni finished the game with seven assists, along with 20 points for Suffolk and three steals.

Pepdjonovic and Halpin each had nine rebounds for Suffolk, while Pepdjonovic collected six blocks on the evening, six points and three assists..

Albertus finished the night with four players in double digits in scoring, highlighted by Watson's game-high 30. Lora added 11 points, while Jackson netted 16 and Jennings had 15.

The Falcons held a distinctive edge in rebounds in the contest by a 52-31 margin, but it was Suffolk's ability to shoot the long ball that proved to be the difference maker. Albertus was just 2-for-11 as a team in the game, while the Rams finished the night 12-for-26 from behind the arc, including 7-for-14 in the second half.

Both teams will be back in GNAC action on Saturday afternoon. Albertus Magnus will travel to Rivier University for a noon tip-off with the Raiders. Suffolk will host Lasell College at the Regan Gymnasium beginning at 2:00pm following the Rams' annual alumni game.