NEW HAVEN, Conn. - In front of a raucous crowd inside "The Nest", the Albertus Magnus College men's basketball team took the nationally-ranked Blue Jays of the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) to the brink in a thrilling 85-81 home setback Monday evening in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action. 

Davon Warner (New Haven, Conn.) led the way for the Falcons with 19 points on 8-for-14 shooting from the floor. Terry Dawkins (Bronx, N.Y.) was next on the team with 12 points, while Kevin Crawford (Bridgeport, Conn.) (11) and Justice Washington (Hamden, Conn.) (10) also surpassed double-figures. 

THE BASICS
FINAL: Saint Joseph's (CT) 85 | Albertus Magnus 81
RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (11-6, 9-3 GNAC) | Saint Joseph's (CT) (19-0, 14-0 GNAC)
BOX SCORE

HOW IT HAPPENED

Albertus came out for vengeance as they opened the game with back-to-back jump shots from Tyreek Perkins (New Haven, Conn.) and Dawkins before extending their lead to seven 9-2, following a jump shot from Warner at the 16:26 mark.

USJ battled to within four, 9-5, behind a free throw from Ryan O'Neill, but Albertus didn't let up as a 3-pointer from Warner ignited a short spurt that extended the hosts' lead to nine, 14-5. Despite the Blue Jays battling to within seven on two occasions, Albertus maintained the momentum of the game and found themselves up 10, 19-9, behind a three-point play from Isaiah Lewis (New Haven, Conn.) at the 11:45 mark.

Over the next four minutes, it was an offensive battle between Albertus and USJ as both teams countered each of their own made baskets to bring the score to 27-18 heading into a Falcon timeout with 7:18 remaining in the half.

Out of the break, Albertus capitalized defensively holding the Blue Jays to only three points, while the Falcons scored seven of their own to take an 11-point lead, 34-23, following a crucial three from Warner at 5:38. Not soon after, USJ took advantage on offense and rallied to within one, 36-35, but the Falcons remained on top, 40-36, heading into the halftime break.

Albertus and USJ came out to play with both teams battling point for point in the opening seven minutes of the second half until layups from Dawkins and Lewis gave the Falcons the largest lead of the stanza, thus far, at seven, 57-50. 

Shortly after, USJ erupted offensively scoring eight unanswered points to take its first lead since the first half, 60-57, forcing Coach Mitch Oliver to call a timeout with 10:31 left in regulation. The Blue Jays' lead was short lived, as both teams forced five ties over the next five minutes of play before a free throw from O'Neill sparked a 5-0 run that put the visitors up five, 79-73, with three minutes left in regulation. 

The Falcons responded with a swift 5-1 run to make it a two-point game, 80-78, with 2:17 left in regulation. Despite a trio of points from the Falcons in the final minutes, the hosts were unable to fend off the Blue Jays and fell by a final score of 85-81. 

TEAM STATS

• Albertus: 50.0% FG | 26.3% 3PT | 58.8% FT
• USJ (CT): 46.2% FG | 44.4% 3PT | 61.1% FT 

KEY PERFORMERS

Albertus:

• Davon Warner - 19 points (8-14 FG, 3-8 3PT, 0-2 FT) | 3 rebounds | 3 steals
• Terry Dawkins - 12 points (4-8 FG, 4-6 FT) | 4 rebounds | 3 assists | 1 steal 
• Kevin Crawford - 11 points (4-6 FG, 3-5 FT) | 5 rebounds | 1 assist | 2 steals 
• Justice Washington - 10 points (5-7 FG, 0-1 FT) | 5 rebounds | 1 assist | 4 blocks

Saint Joseph's (CT):

• Ryan O'Neill - 32 points (6-12 FG, 3-5 3PT, 17-22 FT) | 5 rebounds | 2 assists | 1 steal
• Jaecee Martin - 16 points (5-11 FG, 6-12 FT) | 9 rebounds | 3 assists | 1 steal
• Chaylyn Martin - 16 points (5-12 FG, 0-2 3PT, 6-8 FT) | 4 rebounds 
• Jordan Powelll - 11 points (5-9 FG, 1-5 FT) | 9 rebounds | 1 steal | 6 blocks

NOTEWORTHY

• This is the sixth all-time meeting between Albertus and USJ.
• Albertus is now 2-4 in the all-time series against the Blue Jays.
• Warner recorded his 11th game of the season with 10+ points, scoring 19 in the contest. 
• Washington recorded his fifth multi-block game of the season.  
• Dawkins has scored in double-figures in each of the last nine games. 
• Crawford has tallied 10+ points five times this season. 

UP NEXT

The Albertus Magnus College men's basketball team returns to action on Tuesday, Feb. 8, with a road GNAC tilt against the Wildcats of Johnson & Wales (University). Tip-off is set for 7 PM in Providence, R.I.