No. 6 Blue Jays Beat Albertus Magnus, 85-81, Remain Unbeaten Monday

NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The nationally-ranked No. 6 University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team trailed at the half but overcame the odds in a hotly-contested matchup with intrastate foe Albertus Magnus College (AMC), 85-81, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) road game inside the Cosgrove Marcus Messer Center Monday night.

The victory is the 21st straight dating back to last season, and the 19th  straight to start 2021-22 for USJ.

The Blue Jays win streak is tied for the second-longest active streak in all of college basketball (Div I-III). USJ is one of two remaining undefeated teams in the nation (one in D-II), and now owns the longest active conference win streak in Division III at 28 straight, after Yeshiva's 34-game win streak came to an end. During the streak, USJ has also won 19 of its last 20 games by double digits.

Senior guard Ryan O'Neill (Litchfield, Conn.) erupted for a career-high 32 points (17-22 FT) to go along with five rebounds. 21 of O'Neill's 32 came in the second half. The Martin brothers, senior guard Jaecee Martin (Hartford, Conn.) and senior guard Chaylyn Martin (Hartford, Conn.) added 16 apiece (nine rebounds for Jaecee). The Blue Jays shot an astonishing 54 free throws Monday night, but oddly enough only converted on 33. Still, the they hung tough throughout the contest despite 50% shooting from the hosts, who wanted nothing more than to end the Blue Jays winning ways, especially after the 80-51 defeat at the hands of the Blue Jays Saturday afternoon. Senior guard Tyreek Perkins (New Haven, Conn.), who missed the game Saturday to injury, showed some toughness by playing in this one. He scored seven points in the effort. USJ was +7 in second chance points, which paid off down the stretch.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Saint Joseph 85, Albertus Magnus 81
Records: USJ 19-0 (14-0 GNAC), AMC 11-6 (9-3 GNAC)
Location: Cosgrove Marcus Messer Center | New Haven Conn.

COACH QUOTE [Glen Miller]
"Tonight was a good win and, more importantly, a great learning experience for our team. I thought early we let the hostile crowd and over-aggressive defensive approach of Albertus take us out of what we do well. I don't recall ever coaching in a game where the opponent committed forty fouls and had six players foul out. Amazingly we probably got fouled more than forty times. After being down double figures and by four at halftime, our experience, toughness, discipline, and poise came to the forefront and gave us the win. Ryan O'Neill had a huge game offensively. Had we not missed twenty-one free throws, this would have been a double-figure road win."

USJ is now 4-2 all-time vs AMC, having won the last four meetings. USJ has already set a new program record for most GNAC wins in a season (went 11-0 in 2019-20).

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays will look to continue their unbeaten streak in another GNAC road game, this time against the Lasers of Lasell University, part of a doubleheader with the women's teams. The action kicks off at 5:30 p.m for the women, and the men follow at 7:30 p.m. Head over to www.usjbluejays.com to catch the action live!

Follow USJ Athletics
For the latest on University of Saint Joseph athletics, follow the Blue Jays on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.

Fans can also download the USJ Front Row Mobile App and subscribe to our Newsletter and Text Alerts. #FearTheFlock #GoBlueJays