STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (14-11, 10-7 GNAC) trumped Elms College (3-22, 2-16 GNAC), 80-60, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon.

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:

The Monks entered today's contest having already clinched the #2 seed in the GNAC North Division and, with the entire conference docket in the books as of this afternoon, learned their first-round opponent: Regis College, which claimed the #3 seed in the South Division.

Saint Joseph's will host Regis in a GNAC Tournament quarterfinal on Tuesday at 7:30 PM.

SENIOR MOMENT:

Prior to the start of the contest Saint Joseph's held a brief ceremony to honor the Monks' four seniors: Ashtyn Abbott (Farmingdale, Maine), Bryton Early (Rollinsford, N.H.), Ian Jennings (Milton, Vt.), and Drew Shea (Mount Desert Island, Maine). This group of seniors played a significant role in the team's improvement, providing leadership and athleticism to help the Royal Blue improve from a 9-18 record last winter to a 14-11 slate this season.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Saint Joseph's maintained a 38-29 lead going into intermission, but the Blazers cut their deficit down to just three points (49-46) on the heels of a 15-4 run capped by a Trey Sabia (West Simsbury, Conn.) three-pointer with 11:13 remaining.

The Monks managed to put the game away with a 25-7 offensive outburst spanning the subsequent eight minutes, as a Teagan Hynes (York, Maine) trifecta closed out the run with SJC ahead, 71-53, with 3:30 left.

STATS OF THE GAME:

St. Joe's enjoyed a banner afternoon from beyond the arc, as nine different players connected from deep and combined to shoot 42.5% (17-40) from long distance in the victory.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Jennings paced the Monks with a career-high 14 points on 4-of-7 three-point shooting and added five rebounds, two assists, and a pair of steals
• Graduate guard Nicholas Curtis (Windham, Maine) tallied 11 points, six assists, four rebounds, and three steals
• Abbott added nine points, three caroms, and a pair of assists
• Early chipped in with eight points, four boards, and two assists
• Hynes netted nine points with a pair of rebounds
• Graduate guard Griffin Foley (Portland, Maine) registered five points, seven assists, and five boards

LEADERS – ELMS:

• Graduate guard Tahquell Cadle (Bridgeport, Conn.) was 7-for-25 from the field with 17 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and three steals
• Junior guard Teron Griffin (Harlem, N.Y.) came off the bench to produce a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Saint Joseph's is now 3-0 all-time versus Elms College.

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