West Hartford, CT – Emmanuel College men's basketball fell to Saint Joseph (CT) 80-58 Saturday afternoon at James A. Calhoun Gymnasium, as the Blue Jays pulled away in the second half and the Saints fall to 1-3 in the Great Northeast Conference.

Emmanuel (7-10, 1-3 Great Northeast) struggled to contain Saint Joseph's interior attack, which accounted for 52 points in the paint. The Blue Jays (12-6, 5-0 Great Northeast) shot an impressive 57.1% from the field in the second half, using a decisive run midway through the final period to put the game out of reach. 

Junior guard Noah Beaudet and junior guard Mahari Guerrier each poured in 18 points to pace the Saints' offense. Beaudet was efficient from beyond the arc, connecting on 4-of-6 from three-point range, while Guerrier added seven rebounds and knocked down 7-of-9 free throws in his 31 minutes of action.

Emmanuel kept things close in the opening period, trailing just 34-25 at halftime. The Saints shot 44.4% from three-point range in the first half, with Beaudet connecting on three of his four first-half attempts to keep Emmanuel within striking distance.

The Saints made a push early in the second half, as Beaudet's fastbreak three-pointer at 16:30 cut the deficit to eight at 32-40, giving Emmanuel hope for a comeback.

However, Saint Joseph responded with authority. The Blue Jays embarked on a crushing 21-4 run over the next six minutes, extending their lead to 53-34 with 12:56 remaining. Deivone Tanksley Jr. led the charge for the Blue Jays with 21 points and 11 rebounds, while Babacar Gadiaga provided a spark off the bench with a perfect 6-for-6 shooting performance for 15 points.

Emmanuel was unable to recover from the onslaught, never cutting the margin below 13 points the rest of the way.

The Saints were plagued by 25 turnovers that led to 29 Saint Joseph points. The Blue Jays capitalized on Emmanuel's ball-handling struggles, forcing 15 steals and converting those opportunities into transition baskets.

Emmanuel shot just 38.5% from the field for the game and was outrebounded 40-30. The Saints managed only 20 points in the paint compared to Saint Joseph's 52.

Connor Hanavan provided a solid contribution off the bench with seven points on perfect 2-of-2 shooting from the field and the free-throw line, while Hansy Jacques added four points in 25 minutes of action.

Up Next

Emmanuel will look to bounce back as they continue Great Northeast Conference play. The Saints will host New England College on Wednesday, January 28 at 5:30 p.m. on Coaches vs. Cancer Night.

The loss drops Emmanuel to 1-3 in conference play, while Saint Joseph improved to a perfect 5-0 in the Great Northeast standings.