No. 1 Men's Hoops Never Trails in 87-60 Senior Day Win Over Dean

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team, which has now been ranked No. 1 in the nation for the last seven consecutive weeks, led wire-to-wire on its way to an 87-60 victory over the visiting Dean College Bulldogs in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) South Division contest on Senior Day Saturday afternoon inside James A. Calhoun Gymnasium in West Hartford, Conn. Prior to the contest, the USJ Department of Athletics honored 10 seniors, which featured eight student-athletes, including five who were members of the inaugural 2018-19 men's basketball team, and two student managers.

15 different Blue Jays in total scored in the Senior Day triumph over the Bulldogs, led by senior forward Jalen Samuels (Franklin, Mass.) who finished with 12 points, a career-high six assists, and three rebounds. Graduate students Jake Sullivan (Branford, Conn.) and Ryan O'Neill (Litchfield, Conn.) also finished in double figures for Saint Joseph with 11 and 10 points, respectively. Sullivan also grabbed five boards, dished out two assists, and swiped a pair of steals for the Blue Jays who improve to 24-0 overall, 17-0 in the GNAC, and remain the lone undefeated team left in NCAA Division III men's basketball.

GAME INFORMATION 
Score: #1 Saint Joseph 87, Dean 60
Records: #1 USJ (24-0, 17-0 GNAC), Dean (14-9, 9-7 GNAC)
Location: James A. Calhoun Gymnasium (West Hartford, Conn.)

HOW IT HAPPENED

The first nine minutes of action was played within a couple of possessions. USJ, leading 18-12, then went on an 11-0 spurt to create separation with 7:36 left in the first half. The Blue Jays later built their lead up to 20, before a mini 5-0 Dean run made the score 35-20 with under a minute to play before halftime. Saint Joseph then scored four points in the final 32 seconds of the frame to take a 39-20 lead at the break.

A Sullivan trey opened the second stanza for USJ, which put the home team on top by 22, and the Blue Jays never looked back. The Bulldogs responded with a Blair free throw and a Spearman layup to cut the deficit back to 19, but that would be as close as they would get for the rest of the contest.

More information soon to follow...

UP NEXT

Men's basketball returns back to the hardwood on Tuesday, February 14 for its regular-season final, a GNAC South Division contest on the road at Johnson & Wales University. Tipoff between the Blue Jays and Wildcats is slated for approximately 7:30 p.m. inside the Wildcat Center in Providence, R.I.