PHOTO CREDIT: Chris Theodores '25

STANDISH, Maine – Saint Joseph's College (12-9, 8-2 GNAC) defeated Lasell University (15-7, 9-2 GNAC GNAC), 76-66, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball action on Mike McDevitt Court at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday.

The Monks have now won five consecutive games for the first time since the 2018-19 campaign when the Royal Blue notched a nine-game winning streak.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The conference counterparts swapped the lead twice and played through three tie scores during the first eight minutes of the game, but the Monks secured the lead for good – as it played out – when grad forward Ashtyn Abbott (Farmingdale, Maine) – who scored the Monks' first seven points – hit a three-pointer to make it a 21-20 game with 12:04 left in the first frame.

The contest remained a two-possession affair for the subsequent eight minutes before sophomore guard John Paul Frazier (York, Maine) made a layup and lifted the hosts to a 35-27 advantage with 3:47 before the break.

Thanks in large part to Abbott's 15 first-half points, St. Joe's carried a 41-31 lead into intermission but a sluggish start to the second stanza saw the visitors mount a 10-2 run, in the process cutting their deficit to 43-41 with 14:37 to play.

The Monks extended their lead to 12 points (55-43) five minutes later after Frazier drilled a three and proceeded to hold an advantage of at least nine points for the duration. Lasell threatened to jump back into the mix, but St. Joe's seemed to answer every shot with one of their own down the stretch.

The Monks attained a game-high 15-point lead when Abbott converted a layup to make it a 70-55 score with 3:09 left.

STATS OF THE GAME:

St. Joe's held a 48-20 lead in rebounds resulting in advantages in second chance points (9-0) and points in the paint (50-38)…The Monks also held a 21-11 lead in bench points.

LEADERS – SAINT JOSEPH'S:

• Abbott was 9-for-12 from the field with five rebounds, three assists, and a season-high 21 points
• Frazier netted 15 points with five boards and two assists
• Sophomore forward Wani Donato (Portland, Maine) added 12 points, nine caroms, and two blocks
• Senior guard Camryn Yorke (Auburn, Maine) tied a career-high with 14 rebounds and added six points with four assists
• Freshman guard Kolbyn Dunphe (Westbrook, Maine) came off the bench to tally eight points, seven boards, three assists, and a pair of steals

LEADERS – LASELL:

• Junior guard Marcus Lewis (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) scored 16 points with five rebounds and three steals
• Freshman guard Che Hanks (Chelsea, Mass.) added 15 points and four assists
• Senior guard Demerrick Warren (Deerfield Beach, Fla.) tallied 11 points, six caroms, and two assists

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING:

Saint Joseph's is now 16-15 in the history of the series with Lasell University.

NEXT!

Saint Joseph's will host Emmanuel College on Wednesday at 7:30 PM.

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