STANDISH, Maine – Junior Jack Casale (Portland, Maine/Cheverus) scored 33 points and sophomore Nicholas Curtis (Windham, Maine) netted 26 to lift Saint Joseph's College (9-13, 3-5 GNAC) past Emmanuel College (18-4, 6-2 GNAC), 90-81, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball contest at the Harold Alfond Center on Wednesday evening.
The result snaps a three-game losing streak for the Monks and brings an end to the Saints' six-game win streak.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Thanks to an early 15-5 run, the Monks managed to hold a double-digit lead for the majority of the first half and carried a nine-point (46-37) cushion into the break.
The start of the second stanza saw the Saints cut their deficit to single digits as the visitors trailed by just three points (53-50) after sophomore guard Giovanni Ciampa (Tewksbury, Mass.) capped his team's 13-4 surge with a layup at the 16:19 mark. Five minutes later, Emmanuel scored six straight points in a matter of 62 seconds to claim the lead (63-62) for the first time since the start of the contest.
The following two minutes completely changed the game's complexion, as St. Joe's took advantage of three Emmanuel turnovers and scored 13 unanswered points – including 10 from Casale – to claim a 75-63 lead with 8:09 on the clock. The hosts proceeded to lead by at least seven points for the remainder of the game.
STATS OF THE GAME:
Saint Joseph's committed just eight turnovers and scored 22 points off 12 Emmanuel miscues…The Monks made 18 of 40 three-point attempts while the Saints went 7-for-14 shots from downtown.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Casale notched 33 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and two steals
- Curtis was 10-for-15 from the floor with 26 points, four assists, four steals, and three boards
- Freshman Drew Shea (Mount Desert Island, Maine) came off the bench to record 12 points, five rebounds, four assists and a pair of blocked shots
- Sophomore Zac Manoogian (Westbrook, Maine) tallied 10 points and seven assists
LEADERS – EMMANUEL:
- Senior Emmett Riddick (Middletown, Conn.) registered 25 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, and three steals
- Junior Marcus Fox (Danbury, Conn.) also posted a double-double with 16 points and 14 rebounds – including six on the offensive glass
- Junior Jack Moulder (Newtown, Conn.) and senior Blake Hardy (Waterbury, Conn.) chipped in with nine points apiece
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
Saint Joseph's, which suffered a 101-87 loss to Emmanuel on January 2nd, improves to 19-7 in the history of the series with the Saints with tonight's triumph.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's will host Regis College on Saturday at 1:00 PM.
