Led by 18 points from senior Arshad Jackson (Hartford, Conn.) the No. 19 Albertus Magnus men's basketball team defeated Rivier University 76-66 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play on Thursday night.
Jackson registered 10 of his 18 points in the second half as he finished the night with two steals, four rebounds and two assists.
Albertus (11-1, 5-0 GNAC) remains unbeaten in regular-season GNAC play in their last 31 contests, dating back to the 2010-11 season as the Falcons' streak is currently the longest in the nation in Division III men's basketball. The all-time record is 37 games, held by both Buffalo State and Becker.
The Falcons held a 26-point advantage at intermission before taking their largest lead of the night of 33 points with 13 minutes to go in the contest. Rivier outscored the Falcons 41-25 in the second frame to cut the Albertus lead to 10 as the final buzzer went off.
After shooting 61.8% in the opening frame on 21-of-34 shooting from the floor, Albertus shot just 31.0% in the second half, including a 1-of-10 showing from behind the arc.
At the half, the Falcons led 51-25 as Lemar Larsen (New Haven, Conn.) had 11 points on 5-of-6 shooting, while Julian Sanders (Trumbull, Conn.) came off the bench to score 10 first-half points in 10 minutes of work. Jefferson Lora (Bronx, N.Y.) added four points and four blocked shots in seven minutes during the first half.
Sanders finished the game with 15 points and three steals, while Larsen and senior Mike Sweeney (Milford, Conn.) both added five boards.
Marc Wilson (Jersey City, N.J.) recorded eight points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals off the bench for the Falcons in the first half as well. He finished the night with a career-high 12 points.
The Falcons used a 12-2 run midway through the first half to jump out to a commanding 22-7 advantage.
The Falcons opened the second half with a 5-2 run as the Raiders were held scoreless in the opening 3:20 of the frame. Rivier shot 56.5% from the floor in the second half and hit 6-of-11 attempts from behind the arc.
In a game that never saw Rivier take a lead, the Falcons scored 28 points off 20 Raider turnovers.
Albertus returns to action on Saturday when the Falcons travel to Boston, Mass. to take on Emmanuel College in a 3:00 p.m. contest.
