NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Albertus Magnus College men's basketball team remained undefeated in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play after a convincing 80-65 win over Johnson and Wales University on Tuesday evening in the nest.

It was the fourth straight win for the Falcons, who remain atop the conference and are one of just two undefeated teams in the GNAC.

Reigning GNAC Player of the Week, Justice Washington (Hamden, Conn.) continued his strong play with 19 points and 13 rebounds. Malcolm Duncanson (West Haven, Conn.) scored 15 points with eight rebounds and five assists, while Antonio Bonilla (Tenafly, N.J.) and Kevin Crawford (Bridgeport, Conn.) each scored 12 points.

THE BASICS

FINAL: Albertus Magnus 80 | Johnson and Wales 65

RECORDS: Albertus Magnus (13-3, 6-0 GNAC) | Johnson and Wales (3-12, 1-5 GNAC)

BOX

HOW IT HAPPENED

• It was a back-and-forth affair for the majority of the first half as both teams could not separate from one another. For the first 15:45 of the game, the two teams kept the game within one possession as there were six ties and 13 lead changes during that span.
• The Falcons finally were able to break away from the Wildcats late in the first half. With the game tied at 27-27, a layup from Washington prompted a 9-0 run from Albertus that included a three from Tazhon Daniels and another layup from Washington to bookend the run.
• JWU trimmed its deficit to 36-32 on a layup from Josh Zangerle, but Duncanson scored four of the final six points of the half to give Albertus a 42-34 at halftime. Duncanson led the Falcons with nine points at the break.
• Albertus scored the first seven points of the second half to take a 49-34 lead behind three more points from Duncanson and layups from Bonilla and Washington.
• A three from Zangerle followed by a free throw from Aireus Raspberry cut the Albertus lead to 52-46 at the 14:55 mark. However ,two free throws from Washington and a breakaway dunk from Deivone Tanksley (Hartford, Conn.) gave the Falcons the double digit lead again at 56-46.
• The Wildcats trimmed their deficit to single digits one more time with 12:56 remaining, but nine straight points by the Falcons, which included four points each from Washington and Crawford put Albertus in the driver's seat at 65-49 with 10 minutes remaining.
• Albertus never led by less than 12 points the rest of the way, extending its lead to as much as 20 points (80-60) with 55 seconds left.

TEAM STATS

Albertus Magnus: 41.8 FG% | 21.4 3PT% | 63.6 FT%

Johnson and Wales: 41.3 FG% | 33.3 3PT% | 53.3 FT%

INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCES
Albertus Magnus

• Justice Washington 19 Points | 8-13 FG | 13 Rebounds
• Malcolm Duncanson 15 Points | 8 Rebounds | 5 Assists
• Antonio Bonilla 12 Points | 4 Rebounds
• Kevin Crawford 12 Points | 2 Steals

Johnson and Wales

• Aireus Raspberry 22 Points | 3-7 3PT | 8 Rebounds
• Josh Zangerle 16 Points | 6 Assists | 4 Rebounds

NOTEWORTHY

• It was the 60th meeting between the two teams. Albertus now leads the series, 31-29, including 21-10 at The Nest. Albertus has won the last seven meetings between the two teams.
• The 6-0 start to GNAC play is the team's best start since 2017-2018 when that team won its first 15 games in conference play.
• It was the third straight double-double for Washington. He now has ten on the season.
• Crawford has scored in double-figures his last four games and five of his last six.

UP NEXT

The Falcons host Connecticut College on Thursday, January 18 at 7 p.m. It will be the team's final non-conference game of the season.