STANDISH, Maine – Albertus Magnus College (12-3, 5-0 GNAC) fought past Saint Joseph's College (7-9, 3-2 GNAC) in overtime, 86-76, in a hard-fought Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball game on Mike McDevitt Court at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The conference rivals played through 11 tie scores and 16 lead changes and swapped the lead five times in the closing three minutes before grad forward Ashtyn Abbott (Farmingdale, Maine) knotted the game at 71-71 with 20 seconds left in regulation.
SJC junior guard Julian Llopiz (Boston, Mass.) gave the hosts a two-point edge when he started the OT period with a pair of free throws, but the visitors rattled off 11 unanswered points to secure an 82-73 advantage with 1:26 to play. Sophomore John Paul Frazier (York, Maine) hit a three-pointer 10 seconds later, but the trifecta proved to be the Monks' only field goal during the extra frame.
The reigning GNAC Champions led by as many as 11 points in the first half, but the Monks rallied with a 21-9 surge during a seven-minute span with freshman Remijo Wani (Portland, Maine) giving his team a 31-30 edge by making two free throws with 4:54 before the break. With 22 seconds left in the first and after five lead changes, Frazier was fouled on a three-point attempt and made all three free throws to give the hosts a 45-42 lead going into intermission.
In the second stanza, offensive output was at a premium as the GNAC counterparts combined to score only 16 points in the first 10 minutes of the latter period. Albertus held a 53-47 lead after senior Justice Washington (Hamden, Conn.) converted a traditional three-point play with 11:58 on the clock, but St. Joe's countered with a 14-4 run as Llopiz responded in kind five minutes later, making it a 61-57 game in favor of the Monks.
Neither team attained a lead greater than three points down the stretch and Abbott made a layup after pulling down an offensive board to tie the game at 71-apiece with 20 seconds left. After a timeout, Albertus Magnus had two opportunities to win in regulation, but both shots were off target.
STATS OF THE GAME:
The teams combined to shoot just 23.6% (17-72) in the second half…The Falcons netted 12 of their 29 second-period points from the free throw line…The Monks committed 14 turnovers in the second frame and 25 overall with the Falcons scoring 29 points off the SJC miscues…Three SJC players – Frazier, Llopiz, and Wani – combined to 15-for-15 from the FT line as the Monks were perfect from the charity stripe in a game for the first time since the 2011-12 season.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Frazier scored a career-high 27 points with four rebounds and connected for his 100th career three-pointer in the setback
- Llopiz came off the bench to score 21 points with four rebounds and four steals
- Wani posted a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds
- Abbott chipped in with nine points and four rebounds
- Junior guard Teagan Hynes (York, Maine) added seven assists and five rebounds
LEADERS – ALBERTUS MAGNUS:
- Senior Antonia Bonilla (Tenafly, N.J.) led the Falcons with 23 points and added five boards, four assists, and two steals
- Senior Kevin Crawford (Bridgeport, Conn.) provided a spark off the bench with 19 points and seven rebounds
- Sophomore Jeyson Slade (Stamford, Conn.) scored 16 points with seven boards and five steals
- Washington posted a double-double with 15 points and 15 rebounds
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the loss Saint Joseph's falls to 10-19 in the history of the series with Albertus Magnus College.
NEXT!
Saint Joseph's returns to action next Saturday with a conference game at Elms College. Tip-off is set for 3:00 PM.
