STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (5-8, 1-0 GNAC) opened Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play with a 75-64 victory over Mitchell College (4-9, 0-1 GNAC) on Mike McDevitt Court at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The teams traded several ties and lead changes early, but the Monks created separation late in the first half with a 9-2 run to take control. Saint Joseph's pushed its cushion to 10 points (36-26) when senior John Paul Frazier (York, Maine) knocked down a jumper with 4:45 remaining before the break. Mitchell junior guard Troy Butler (Manchester, Conn.) beat the halftime horn with a three-pointer to cut the deficit to 40-34 at intermission.

Leading 45-40 early in the second half, Saint Joseph's erupted with a 17-6 surge over a six-minute stretch to build a game-high 16-point advantage (62-46) with 9:12 left, capped by a layup from senior Tong Maiwen (Juba, South Sudan). The burst proved pivotal, as Mitchell outscored the Monks 18-13 the rest of the way but never drew close enough to threaten down the stretch.

STATS OF THE GAME:

Saint Joseph's held advantages in rebounds (46-28) — including an 18-5 edge on the offensive glass — bench points (27-8), fast-break points (15-4), points off turnovers (24-18), and second-chance points (12-5). Mitchell shot 50.0% (27-54) from the field compared to Saint Joseph's 40.3% (29-72), but the Mariners went just 40.0% (6-15) at the free-throw line.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Wani Donato (Sr., Portland, Maine) – 15 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals
• Davis Mann (Fr., Yarmouth, Maine) – 11 points
• Remijo Wani (Jr., Portland, Maine) – 10 points
• John Paul Frazier (Sr., York, Maine) – 10 points, 4 assists
• Kolbyn Dunphe (Jr., Westbrook, Maine) – 8 points (2-2 3PT)

LEADERS – MITCHELL:

• Troy Butler (Jr., Manchester, Conn.) – 28 points (4-8 3PT)
• Abdul Mansaray (So., Jacksonville, Fla.) – 22 points, 9 rebounds, 5 blocks

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Saint Joseph's is now 5-0 in the history of the series with Mitchell College.

NEXT:

Saint Joseph's will play at New England College on Wednesday at 7:00 PM.