Samuels Scores Career-High, No. 1 Men's Hoops Downs Colby-Sawyer to Win 20th Straight

NEW LONDON, N.H. - Behind four scorers in double figures, including a career-high 18 points from senior forward Jalen Samuels (Franklin, Mass.), the nationally-ranked No. 1 University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team defeated the Colby-Sawyer College (CSC) Chargers, 94-80, Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest held inside the Dan & Kathleen Hogan Sports Center in New London, N.H. With the victory, the Blue Jays won their 20th straight game to start the 2022-23 season and improved to 20-0 overall and 13-0 GNAC play. The Chargers dropped to 7-12 overall and 4-7 in the league with the setback.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: #1 Saint Joseph 94, Colby-Sawyer 80
Records: #1 USJ (20-0, 13-0 GNAC), CSC (7-12, 4-7 GNAC)
Location: Dan & Kathleen Hogan Sports Center (New London, N.H.)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Saint Joseph logged its best shooting performance of the season, connecting on 61.2% (30-49) of its field-goal attempts in the game, and erupted for 51 second-half points to turn a one-point halftime lead in to a 14-point victory over Colby-Sawyer Saturday afternoon. A quartet of Blue Jays finished in double figures to lead the charge, paced by senior point guard Jaecee Martin (Hartford, Conn.), who matched his season-high with a game-high 23 points. He was joined by graduate student guard Ryan O'Neill (Litchfield, Conn.), who dropped 19 points, and senior guard Delshawn Jackson Jr. (Hartford, Conn.) and Samuels, who added 18 points apiece. The 18 points for Samuels, who shot 4-of-6 from the floor and 10-of-19 from the free-throw line, marked a new career-high.

The Chargers raced out of the gate and took an early seven-point lead (9-2) on their home court as seniors Scott Lampron (Concord, N.H.) and Omar Boone (Colorado City, Texas) combined to score the first nine points for the hosts in the opening minutes. The Blue Jays would battle back and use a mini 6-2 spurt with a layup from Samuels and back-to-back makes from O'Neill to pull within three (11-8) with 16:13 left to play in the first half. A pair of CSC three-pointers wrapped around another Samuels layup though built the Chargers' lead back up to seven (17-10) moments later.

The Blue Jays then rattled off a 9-2 run to level the game at 19-all with 12:20 to go in the opening period. Graduate student forward Jake Sullivan (Branford, Conn.) fueled the run with six points, while Jackson Jr. potted the first three of the contest for USJ to account for the scoring.

The score see-sawed over the ensuing 10 minutes of action with neither team leading by more than one possession, until graduate student forward Alec Kinder (West Haven, Conn.) was able to knock down a pair of free throws to put the Blue Jays up four (39-35) with 2:28 remaining on the first-half timer. Colby-Sawyer punched right back though, using one of its best runs of the first half to immediately take back the lead, and ripped off straight points to go up 41-39 with under a minute left before halftime.

Each team traded one free throw apiece during the final minute and then O'Neill buried his first three-pointer of the contest at the perfect time, beating the first-half buzzer and sending the Blue Jays into the locker room with a 43-42 edge and some much-needed momentum.

USJ and O'Neill picked right back up where they left off the first half and O'Neill converted an old-fashioned three-point play to open the second-half scoring and put the Blue Jays up 46-42. However, CSC answered immediately and used a quick 5-1 burst, capped by a three-pointer from sophomore Kevin Cummings (Portsmouth, N.H.) to level the score once again (47-47) with 18:06 to play in regulation.

The biggest run of the ballgame followed though as the Blue Jays erupted for a 13-0 game-breaking run over the next four-plus minutes. Samuels and Martin kick-started the run by combining to net the first nine points and then Jackson Jr. and O'Neill finished it off with back-to-back scores to put Saint Joseph firmly in the driver's seat, 60-47, with 14:01 left to play.

Colby-Sawyer got back within single digits on a pair of occasions over the next few minutes, but a quick 7-0 spurt in a span of a minute's time, featuring a three from Jackson Jr. followed by a layup and three from O'Neill, saw the Blue Jays take their largest lead of the game, 70-53, with 11:26 to go.

The Chargers made one last push, scoring the next eight unanswered points to get back within single digits (70-61) with nine minutes remaining, but USJ responded to that run with the next seven straight points to rebuild a 16-point lead (77-61) with 6:24 left on the clock. Saint Joseph's defense dug in and kept it a double digit game the rest of the way and the Blue Jays walked away with the 94-80 triumph.

Boone was the leading scorer for the Chargers finishing with a team-best 19 points. He was joined in double figures by Cummings, who finished with 15 points, and junior Kadir Arca (Istanbul, Turkey), who added 11 off the bench. CSC shot a respectable 44.1% (26-59) as a team in the loss.

USJ won the battle on the glass (36-30) and was led by Samuels who grabbed a game-high 11 boards to post his second double-double of the season. He also registered a game-best four assists as USJ dished out 16 as a team to CSC's 14. Both teams committed 14 turnovers apiece. The score was tied seven different times and there were five lead changes.

UP NEXT

Men's basketball returns back to the hardwood on Tuesday, January 31 for another GNAC contest and plays at home versus intrastate and GNAC rival Albertus Magnus College. Tipoff between the Blue Jays and Falcons is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. inside James A. Calhoun Gymnasium in West Hartford, Conn. Tickets to attend Tuesday night's game can be purchased by visiting www.usjbluejays.com/tickets. Fans who cannot make it to West Hartford can watch all of the action live by visiting https://portal.stretchinternet.com/usj/.