Jackson Jr. Leads Men's Hoops Over No. 19 Albertus Magnus, 98-79

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Sophomore guard Delshawn Jackson Jr. (Hartford, Conn.) tied a school record 36 points to lead the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team over the nationally-ranked No. 19 Albertus Magnus College (AMC) Falcons, 98-79, Wednesday evening in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest at "The Nest", in the sold-out Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center. This is the 15th straight win for the Blue Jays, improving to 16-2 overall and 4-0 in the GNAC. It marks the worst home loss for AMC since 2008, head coach Mitch Oliver's first season with the team.

'DJ' finished with a career-high and school-record 36 points (10-20 FG, 13-15 FT), tying Mike Sagay, who scored 36 points in November of 2018. Junior forward Jordan Powell (Middletown, Conn.) continues his unconscious shooting stroke, dropping 22 points on a perfect 10-for-10 shooting, to go along with 10 big-time rebounds, good for his fourth career double-double. Powell has now made 29 of his last 31 shots. Sophomore Jaecee Martin (Hartford, Conn.) did a little bit of everything (16 PTS, 8 REB, 6 AST) for the Blue Jays from start to finish. Junior guard Tyreek Perkins (New Haven, Conn.) led the way for the Falcons with 22 points (8-8 FT) and three steals. Saint Joseph took a 15-point lead early in the second half, and Albertus was unable to make a run at it.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Saint Joseph 98, Albertus Magnus 79
Records: USJ (16-2, 4-0 GNAC), AMC (14-3, 3-1 GNAC)
Location: Cosgrove Marcus Messer Athletic Center | New Haven, Conn.

COACH QUOTE [Jim Calhoun]
"It's one of the best wins we have had here at Saint Joseph. [It was] a sold-out crowd, and a great basketball atmosphere. Yes we made shots, yes we ran our offense, but more importantly, we were tough. To see these kids grow, to fight off [Albertus] on the road, a really good team, this was a great win for us."

KEY MOMENTS

• The Blue Jays jumped on the Falcons from the get-go, taking a 14-3 lead in the first four minutes with a series of easy layups inside, five in total.
• The Falcons got it right back with a 13-2 run to tie the game at 16 nearly halfway through the first. Senior forward Damian Grant (Waterbury, Conn.) scored six of his 18 bench points during the run.
• Saint Joseph was able to maintain a nine to 11-point lead the remainder of the half, as Powell and Martin pounded Albertus inside with a series of physical finishes and assassin-esque slashes. AMC got it down to six at one point, but DJ hit a clutch trey with five seconds to go in the half to bump it back to 11 into the locker room, 41-30.
• The Blue Jays came out of the break on a 7-0 run (three more layups, including an and-one) to give them their largest lead of the game, 48-30. Oliver and the Falcons called for time.
• Buckets traded back-and-forth, but the Falcons could never muster a run to trim the gap. The commitment to the cup, and physicality on the glass kept the top-ranked scoring and rebounding GNAC team at bay, as clutch shots from DJ gave the Blue Jays a statement victory on the road, as they continue on in their second-ever basketball season.
  

NUMBER TO KNOW

44 – The Blue Jays set a school record with 44 free throws (33-44, 75%) in one game, including 30 alone in the second half. USJ averages less than 26 free throws attempted per game.  

NOTES

• The Falcons, who entered first in the GNAC in rebounds per game (45), were held to a season-low 31 and minus 15 overall.
• USJ and AMC combined for 59 fouls in their first regular-season meeting last February. They combined for 61 Wednesday night.
• The Blue Jays dominated in points in the paint, 54-30.
• Saint Joseph is now 1-2 all-time against Albertus Magnus.

UP NEXT
The USJ men's basketball team returns to the hardwood on Saturday in another key GNAC road matchup at Johnson & Wales University. Tip-off between the Blue Jays and Wildcats is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. inside the Wildcat Center

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