STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's (6-3, 0-1) delivered a dominant performance on Saturday evening, defeating Endicott College (5-5, 2-1) 97-78 in a non-conference matchup at the Harold Alfond Center. 

Saint Joseph's built an early advantage with a 9-2 run midway through the first half, extending their lead to 30-18. Their energy on both ends of the floor kept Endicott at bay, even as the Gulls mounted a late surge to close the gap.

The Monks remained disciplined t in their response to Endicott's rally. After seeing their 15-point lead shrink to just two late in the first half, Saint Joseph's answered with a clutch three-pointer before halftime to regain momentum and a 50-45 lead at the break.

The Monks took control in the second half, using a 20-9 run in the first nine minutes to extend their advantage to 70-54. Saint Joseph's continued to dominate in key areas, including second-chance points (24-7) and rebounding, to put the game out of reach.

LEADER-Saint Joseph's (Maine):

• Freshman Silvano Ismail (Portalnd, ME) scored 16 points with two assists and eight rebounds
• Wani Donato pulled down six rebounds with 17 points and three steals
• Sophomore Remijo Wani (Portland, Maine) led the Monks with18 points, two steals,five rebounds and three assists
• Julian Llopiz (Boston, Mass.) scored 15 for the Monks off the bench and added two rebounds  

LEADERS-Endicott

• AJ Forte (Peabody, Mass.) led Endicott with a career-high 21 points, shooting 8-for-14 from the field and 5-for-9 from three-point range.
• Elijah Kinney (Nashville, Tenn.) contributed 19 points, eight rebounds, and three steals for the Gulls.
• Drew Brown (Pelham, N.H.) and Sidney Hall (Worcester, Mass.) added eight and seven points, respectively, but the Gulls couldn't match the Monks' efficiency.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING:

• The Monks leveraged their bench strength, scoring 34 points from non-starters.
• Their control of second-chance opportunities, outscoring Endicott 24-7 in that category, underscored their dominance on the glass.
• Saint Joseph's converted key defensive stops into points, capitalizing on Endicott's inability to sustain their scoring runs.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

• This victory marked the second all-time meeting between the programs, with each team winning once.

Next!

The Monks are on the road at Bates on December 30 for a 6 PM matchup.