PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Johnson & Wales University (10-10, 8-6 GNAC) defeated Saint Joseph's College (7-16, 6-9 GNAC), 73-60, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

After a slow start that saw the conference counterparts combine for just five points in the opening four minutes, the Wildcats caught fire with a 25-9 run to earn a game-high 17-point (28-11) lead with 8:49 left in the first half.

The Monks faced a 40-29 deficit heading into the second half and managed to cut into the JWU advantage midway through the closing period with an 8-1 run, which was capped by a Teagan Hynes (York, Maine) trifecta and the Royal Blue down 52-48 with 13:04 remaining.

Senior guard Griffin Foley (Portland, Maine) cut the Wildcats' lead down to 54-53 with a layup at the 10:47 mark, but the SJC shooters went cold during the following seven minutes, a span during which the hosts put the game away with a 17-2 run. The Monks went just 1-for-11 from the floor during the dry spell.

STATS OF THE GAME:

Johnson & Wales held a 32-14 lead in points in the paint and shot an even 50% (30-60) from the field…Saint Joseph's posted a 36.4% (24-66) effort from the floor.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Foley scored 14 points with four rebounds and two assists
• Senior guard Nicholas Curtis (Windham, Maine) added 11 points, three rebounds, and three steals
• Junior forward Ashtyn Abbott (Farmingdale, Maine) came off the bench to net nine poits with four rebounds

LEADERS – JOHNSON & WALES:

• Josh Zangerle led all scorers with 25 points
• Bryan Davis notched a double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds
• Bobby Florito added 17 points, five rebounds, six assists, and five steals
• Alreus Raspberry chipped in with 11 points and seven boards

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's will host Colby-Sawyer College on Tuesday in a GNAC contest set to start at 7:30 PM.

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