PHOTO CREDIT: Sam Seng/WPI Athletics

WORCESTER, Mass. – Saint Joseph's College (1-0) defeated Dickinson College (0-1), 77-56, in the first round of the Ted Coghlin Memorial Tournament on the Campus of WPI on Saturday evening. The contest was the 2023-24 season opener for both men's basketball programs.

With the victory, Saint Joseph's advances to the tourney's championship game and will face WPI, which defeated #7 Williams College earlier today, in a contest set for a 3:00 PM tip-off tomorrow.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Monks held a 10-4 lead after junior Julian Llopiz (Boston, Mass.) grabbed a steal and hit a three-pointer on a fast break six minutes into the contest. The Red Devils bounced back with an 11-4 run to claim a 15-14 edge after Aaron Bailey made a trifecta with exactly 10 minutes left in the first half.

As it played out, the slim lead was the only advantage Dickinson held for the entire contest, as a John Paul Frazier (York, Maine) dunk ignited a 10-0 SJC run that saw the Royal Blue claim a 24-15 lead with 6:56 before the break.

The Red Devils remained within striking distance and maintained a single-digit deficit until the Monks, leading by seven (44-37) at the 16:41 mark, registered an 18-7 surge to claim a 62-44 cushion six minutes later.

Saint Joseph's closed out the contest with a 7-0 run as a Wani Donato (Portland, Maine) layup lifted the Monks to a game-high 21-point lead and the 77-56 final.

STATS OF THE GAME:

Saint Joseph's shot 52.5% (32-61) from the field and 50.0% (11-22) from three-point range while Dickinson shot 37.9% (22-58) from the floor and 30.0% (6-20) from beyond the arc.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Junior Teagan Hynes (York, Maine) scored 15 points with six assists, three rebounds, and a pair of steals
• Graduate Ashtyn Abbott (Farmingdale, Maine) tallied 14 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and two blocked shots
• Frazier netted 10 points off a 4-for-8 shooting effort
• Freshman Remijo Wani (Portland, Maine) added nine points, three boards, and two assists
• Wani Donato pulled down six rebounds with six points and two assists
• Freshman Pitia Donato (Portland, Maine) scored seven points with two rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench
• Graduate Drew Shea (Mount Desert Island, Maine) tacked on seven points with three caroms and two assists

LEADERS – DICKINSON:

• Bailey led the Red Devils with 17 points off a 7-for-10 shooting performance with five rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench
• Nate Ogbu scored 10 points with five rebounds, two assists, and a pair of blocked shots

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Tonight's contest was the first between the Monks' and Red Devils' men's basketball teams.

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