STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (8-8, 4-0 GNAC) surged past Emmanuel College (7-9, 1-2 GNAC), 81-54, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball action on Mike McDevitt Court at the Harold Alfond Center on Tuesday evening.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The teams traded baskets for the first six minutes, and the score was knotted at 8-8 at the 14:15 mark before Saint Joseph's seized control with a 13-2 surge. Senior forward Wani Donato (Portland, Maine) fueled the run with six points as the Monks opened up a 21-10 advantage just over five minutes later.

Emmanuel answered with a 10-3 spurt—sparked by five points apiece from Mahari Guerrier (Stoughton, Mass.) and Hansy Jacques (Franklin, Mass.)—to pull within 24-20 with 7:53 left in the half. From there, junior guard Remijo Wani (Portland, Maine) took over, scoring seven points in a 9-0 burst that pushed the Monks' lead to 33-20 with 5:00 to play. Saint Joseph's carried that momentum into the break, heading to the locker room in front, 40-27.

The Saints stayed within striking distance into the middle of the second half, but Saint Joseph's put the game out of reach with an 18-4 surge. Freshman guard Davis Mann (Falmouth, Mass.) punctuated the decisive run at the line, knocking down a pair of free throws to give the Monks a 23-point cushion (70-47) with 4:37 remaining.

STATS OF THE GAME:

Saint Joseph's shot 48.5% (32-66) from the floor and held Emmanuel to a 31.6% (18-57) performance while converting 16 EC turnovers into 18 points. The Monks committed just 11 turnovers and assisted on 26 of 32 field goals in the victory.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Remijo Wani: 28 points, 15 rebounds (12-17 FG), 3 assists
• Davis Mann: 15 points, 3-5 3PT, 4-6 FT, 5 rebounds
• Wani Donato: 13 points, 6 assists, 4 steals
• John Paul Frazier (Sr., York, Maine): 11 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks

LEADERS – EMMANUEL:

• Mahari Guerrier: 21 points, 9 rebounds
• Hansy Jacques: 9 points
• Cameron Snowden (Jr., Franklin Park, N.J.): 8 points, 7 rebounds

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 24-10 in the history of the series with Emmanuel College. The Monks have now defeated the Saints in four-consecutive meetings.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's will host Bates College on Saturday in a non-conference contest set to tip off at 3:00 PM.