With an 86-78 victory over Saint Joseph's College of Maine in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play, the Albertus Magnus men's basketball team took over sole possession of first place in the league standings as the Falcons improve to 7-0 in conference action and 12-1 on the year.
Saint Joseph's College is now 7-7 on the year and 6-1 in the league standings.
Senior Darius Watson (New Britain, Conn.) led four Falcons in double figures as he tallied 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting. He added eight rebounds and four assists as well. Freshman Eian Davis (Brooklyn, N.Y.) added 11 points in 14 minutes of work, while senior Lemar Larsen (Waterbury, Conn.) chipped in with 17 points and six boards.
James Jennings (Stratford, Conn.), who tallied a career-high 23 points on Wednesday against Anna Maria, continued where he left off by hitting 3-of-12 from behind the arc to finish with 18 points.
Victor Ljuljdjuraj (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) added eight points and nine boards.
The Falcons enter today's game after a 62.1% showing from the floor on Wednesday in their dominated 34-point win over the AMCats of Anna Maria. Today, the Falcons shot 48.4% on 30-of-62 shooting from the floor.
Play was close in the opening minutes of the contest before the Falcons jumped out to a 24-16 lead. In the first half, the Falcons pushed out to an 18-point lead with one minute left in the frame. The Falcons held a 49-34 lead at the break.
In the second half, the Monks kept the deficit just 10 points by trailing 54-44 before Albertus extended its lead. The Falcons led 80-62 before the Monks were able to close the gap within the final two minutes of play. The Falcons hit 6-of-8 free throws in the final two minutes of play to clinch the victory despite the late Monks' rally.
Saint Joseph's was led by 25 points and 16 rebounds from Nicholas Jobin. Matthew Medeiros added 21 points and six assists to the Monks' tally.
Albertus is 7-7 all-time against the Monks dating back to the 2007-08 season. With a 4-3 home record against St. Joseph's College, the Falcons have won the last five meetings against the Monks with their last loss to the GNAC rival coming in 2011.
The Falcons are set to host Rivier University in a 3:00 p.m. GNAC contest on Monday, Jan. 20. The Falcons are 25-18 against the Raiders all-time dating back to the 1992-93 season. Albertus has posted 10-straight wins over the Raiders and have a 15-8 record at home against that program. Currently on the year, Rivier is 5-10 overall and 2-6 in the league standings. Today they dropped a 73-68 decision to Suffolk University at home.
