WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - #1S University of Saint Joseph (27-0) topped #2N Saint Joseph's College (15-12), 88-49, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament Semifinal contest on Friday evening. For the Monks, the loss signals the end of the 2022-23 season.

University of Saint Joseph, ranked #1 in the nation in the D3hoops.com poll for the majority of the season, moves on to the GNAC Championship and will host #2S Albertus Magnus College in the title game on Sunday.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

SJC and USJ played through four tie scores and a pair of lead changes in the first half and the Monks held a 16-13 edge after graduate Nicholas Curtis (Windham, Maine) made a layup with 9:10 before the break. Saint Joseph's faced a 25-23 deficit after graduate Griffin Foley (Portland, Maine) hit a three-pointer at the 5:19 mark of the opening frame, but the Blue Jays essentially put the game out of reach by mounting a 17-2 run en route to taking a 42-25 cushion into intermission.

The Monks were unable to produce much offense in the second stanza, as the Royal Blue were held to 24 points on 10-for-37 (27.0%) shooting in the closing frame.

STATS OF THE GAME:

USJ scored 26 points off 27 SJC turnovers and held a 46-24 lead in points in the paint.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Foley led the Monks with 11 points and added three rebounds
• Senior forward Ashtyn Abbott (Farmingdale, Maine) added seven points and five rebounds
• Sophomore guards Teagan Hynes (York, Maine) and Julian Llopiz (Boston, Mass.) contributed seven points apiece

LEADERS – UNIVERSITY OF SAINT JOSEPH:

• Ryan O'Neill led all scorers with 24 points and added five boards
• Jaecee Martin tallied 14 points, six assists, five rebounds, and a pair of steals
• Jalen Samuels registered 13 points and nine rebounds
• Delshawn Jackson, Jr. added 13 points and five caroms

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Saint Joseph's is 1-6 all-time versus University of Saint Joseph and has fallen to the Blue Jays in six-consecutive meetings.

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