Portland Maine News

Saint Joseph's College (6-5, 2-1 GNAC) outlasted Anna Maria College (1-10, 0-3 GNAC), 91-81, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball play at the Harold Alfond Center on Tuesday night.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Monks used a scoring surge in each half to hold off the AMCATS as a 15-5 run in the opening frame provided the hosts with a 37-26 advantage with 4:13 before the break. In the second half, Anna Maria managed to tie the game at 55-apiece on the heels of a 10-3 outbreak with 14:56 remaining.

Sparked with a huge blocked shot by freshman Wani Donato (Portland, Maine) on an Anna Maria fast-break bid at the 13:39 mark, the Monks registered a 16-2 run spanning three minutes to secure a 14-point (71-57) cushion with 10:33 left to play. Sophomore Julian Llopiz (Boston, Mass.) drilled a pair of three-pointers and first-year John Paul Frazier (York, Maine) scored five points during the SJC surge.

St. Joe's led by double digits until the AMCATS made one last push by way of a 12-4 run that cut the visitors' deficit down to just five points (84-79) with 2:30 on the clock. The Monks managed to turn the tide with the help of an Ashtyn Abbott (Farmingdale, Maine) fast-break dunk and a 5-for-6 free-throw shooting performance in the closing minutes.

STATS OF THE GAME:

The Monks' three-point shooting proved to be the difference, as nine players combined to make 15-of-32 shots from beyond the arc for a 46.9% clip.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Graduate guard Griffin Foley (Portland, Maine) led all scorers with 25 points and added six rebounds, six assists, and a pair of steals
• Llopiz netted a career-high 23 points off a 6-for-7 three-point shooting effort in just 15 minutes off the bench
• Frazier tied a season-high with 18 points and pulled down seven boards
• Abbott added six points and six rebounds
• Sophomore guard Teagan Hynes (York, Maine) chipped in with four points and six assists

LEADERS – ANNA MARIA:

• Gabe Armstead posted a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds
• Sean Zabari tallied 16 points, six boards, and a pair of steals
• Deandre Wallace came off the bench to net 10 points with four caroms

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 12-13 all-time versus Anna Maria College and snaps a four-game skid at the hands of the AMCATS, who entered tonight's action having not lost to the Monks since 2019.

Original source can be found here