STANDISH, Maine – Junior guard Remijo Wani (Portland, Maine) scored a game-high 26 points as Saint Joseph's College (19-8) pulled away late for a 69-61 victory over #5 Emmanuel College (14-13) in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Basketball Tournament semifinal action at the Harold Alfond Center on Friday evening.
PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS:
With the victory, Saint Joseph's advances to the GNAC Championship game for the third consecutive season and will host #2 University of Saint Joseph in the conference title game on Sunday at 3:00 PM. The Blue Jays edged #3 Albertus Magnus College, 73-72, in the other semifinal matchup on Friday.
For Emmanuel College, the loss ends the 2025-26 season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The teams played to a 34-34 halftime tie, with Saint Joseph's getting 17 first-half points from Wani.
Emmanuel regained a 46-43 edge with 12:29 left in regulation, but the Monks answered with the game's decisive push. Senior John Paul Frazier (York, Maine) drilled a three-pointer to tie it at 46-46, senior Tong Maiwen (Juba, South Sudan) scored inside for the lead, and Frazier followed with a dunk as SJC surged in front, 50-46, with 10:06 remaining.
Wani helped the Monks maintain control down the stretch, scoring on a jumper and a layup to stretch the margin to five (54-49), and Saint Joseph's never relinquished the lead from there. Emmanuel kept it a two-possession game until Maiwen threw down a fast-break dunk off a lead pass from Frazier with a tenth of a second remaining to account for the 69-61 final.
STATS OF THE GAME:
Saint Joseph's controlled several key statistical categories in the semifinal victory, finishing with a 46-41 rebounding advantage and 17 assists on 28 made field goals. The Monks also owned a 42-34 edge in points in the paint and protected the rim well with six blocks, including three by Maiwen. Defensively, SJC was especially sharp after halftime, holding Emmanuel to 34.5% shooting from the field and just 1-for-6 from three-point range in the second half.
LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:
- Remijo Wani – 26 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds (11-24 FG, 3-9 3PT)
- Davis Mann (Fr., Falmouth, Maine) – 15 points, 4 assists (5-9 FG)
- Wani Donato (Sr., Portland, Maine) – 9 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds
- Tong Maiwen – 9 points, 8 rebounds, 3 blocks
- John Paul Frazier – 8 points, game-high 11 rebounds
LEADERS – EMMANUEL:
- Cameron Snowden (Jr., Franklin Park, N.J.) – 15 points
- Noah Beaudet (Jr., Norwood, Mass.) – 14 points
- Mahari Guerrier (Jr., Stoughton, Mass.) – 12 points, 11 rebounds
- Danny Adams (Fr., Quincy, Mass.) – 12 points
HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:
With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 25-10 all-time against Emmanuel and has now won five straight in the series.
