Jan. 9, 2010

Box Score

STANDISH, ME - Tyler Kelley (Saco, ME) netted a game-high 23 points off a 9 for 14 shooting performance and Chris Petzy (Kensington, NH) added 20 points in an 86-65 Saint Joseph's College victory over Emmanuel College at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon. The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball contest was the third one of the season for the visiting Saints, who dropped to 1-8 overall and are still seeking their first GNAC win at 0-3 to date. With the victory, the Monks improved to 9-1 on the season and remain undefeated at 4-0 in league play.

Freshman guard Xavier Everson (Rochester, NY) paced the Saints with a double-double effort of 17 points and 10 caroms, while sophomore guard Isaiah Duke (Albany, NY) scored 16 points on 7 for 14 shooting and freshman guard Armani Gill (Boston, MA) chipped in with 10 points in the loss. Sophomore center Andre Fuller (Troy, NY) added 9 points and 4 rebounds in just his second game of the season.

The much-awaited rematch of the 2009 GNAC Championship, won by the Monks, 74-72 in overtime, was essentially the opposite of the thrilling matchup that took place in front of a packed Alfond Center last February.

Although Emmanuel challenged several times late in the first half, St. Joe's led from buzzer to buzzer in this contest and enjoyed leads of 20 or more points for the better part of the second stanza. The Monks, who registered team-season-highs of 22 free throws made, 10 blocked shots and an otherworldly 75.9% (8-11) success rate from three-point range in the triumph, led by a game-high 28 points after Julio Vazquez (Bridgeport, CT) drilled his first career three-pointer with 8:30 remaining in the contest.

St. Joe's had built a 20-9 lead in the first 9:22 of play, as Petzy scored 11 of his 20 points during the same stretch. Emmanuel managed to cut the deficit to six points, 29-23, with an 8-2 run which was capped by a Michael Mailhot (Norwich, CT) three at the 4:07 mark.

The Saints' optimism was squelched in the waning minutes of the first half, however, as a three-pointer from Zach O'Brien (Schenectady, NY) at the buzzer closed out a 14-2 SJC run that encompassed the final three minutes and saw the Royal Blue take a 43-25 lead into the locker room.

After shooting just 32.3% (10-31) in the first half, Emmanuel improved its overall effort from the floor by connecting on 47.5% (19-40) of the team's attempts in the second half. The Saints missed all nine of their three-point attempts in the latter stanza, however, and St. Joe's couldn't miss from the charity stripe, as the Monks made 18 of 22 (81.8%) from the line in the final 20 minutes.

For the Monks, Ray Eatmon (Huntington, NY) notched 9 boards, 6 points, 3 blocks and 2 steals and O'Brien chipped in with 9 points, 3 dimes and 2 blocked shots. In his first action of the season, Eric Friend (Portland, ME) tallied 8 points off a 6-8 performance from the line in 8 minutes of playing time.

Vazquez played well and added 7 points, 5 caroms and 5 assists while Spenser Adams (North Yarmouth, ME), 3-4 from the FT line, and Khiry Praylow (New York, NY), 1-2 from the floor and 1-2 from the line, both scored their first collegiate points in the victory.

St. Joe's shot an even 50% (28-56) overall, 72.7% (8-11) from three-point distance, and 75.9% (22-29) from the FT line, while Emmanuel shot 40.8% (29-71) from the floor, 18.2% (2-11) from beyond the arc and 50% (5-10) from the line in the loss. Saint Joseph's held a slim 40-37 advantage on the glass in the conference contest.

Both teams will play GNAC opponents on the road on Tuesday, as St. Joe's will travel to Norwich for a 7:00 PM tip-off and Emmanuel will play at Suffolk in a 7:30 PM start.

- Courtesy of Saint Joseph's College Sports Information