No. 3 Men's Basketball Knocks Off Tufts Tuesday Night, 77-57

MEDFORD, Mass. - The nationally-ranked No. 3 University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team passed another challenging test, defeating the Tufts University Jumbos, 77-57, in its first true road contest of the 2022-23 season Tuesday night at Cousens Gymnasium in Medford, Mass. The Blue Jays trailed by one at the half to the Jumbos, who received votes in the most recent D3hoops.com Top 25, but turned it on in the second stanza, including ending the game with a 15-0 run over the final 4:23 of regulation, to remain undefeated and seal their fifth straight victory to start the season.

GAME INFORMATION 
Score: #3 USJ 77, Tufts 57
Records: #3 USJ (5-0), Tufts (5-1) 
Location: Cousens Gymnasium (Medford, Mass.)

HOW IT HAPPENED

Both teams struggled offensively in the opening minutes until Tufts netted the game's first points 2:20 into the contest on a layup by sophomore forward Trumann Gettings (Studio City, Calif.). The Blue Jays answered quickly though and got on the board moments later following a dunk by senior forward Jalen Samuels (Franklin, Mass.) to even the score. Samuels' slam ignited an early 9-0 run for the Blue Jays as they raced out to a 9-2 lead with 14:52 to play in the opening half.

After Tufts trimmed its deficit to four, 14-10, USJ ripped off another 9-0 spurt to build its largest lead of the first period, 23-10, halfway through the opening frame. A three-pointer by senior guard Chaylyn Martin (Hartford, Conn.) started the spurt before graduate student forward Alec Kinder (West Haven, Conn.) made three straight field goals to power the run.

However, the Jumbos battled back and used a 9-0 run of their own to claw back into the contest and make it a four-point game once again, 23-19, with 6:40 to play before halftime. Both teams traded buckets over the ensuing minutes until the hosts ended the half strong, using a 5-0 run over the final 3:38 to take a one-point edge into the halftime intermission, 34-33. Martin netted eight points over the opening 20 minutes to lead the Blue Jays at the break, while senior guard Dylan Thoerner (Irvine, Calif.) had nine first-half points to pace the Jumbos.

Saint Joseph came out of the locker room and re-took the lead with the first bucket of the second half, via a layup by graduate student guard Ryan O'Neill (Litchfield, Conn.), to go up 35-34 with 18:21 left in the game. Although the game stayed within reach for the Jumbos for the majority of the second half, the Blue Jays never trailed for the remainder of the contest. O'Neill's opening layup followed by five straight points by senior guard Tyree Mitchell (East Hartford, Conn.) fueled a 7-0 run by the Blue Jays to begin the half and they led 40-34 with just under 17 minutes to play.

Following back-and-forth action over the next nine minutes, USJ bumped its lead up to 12, 61-49, after six straight points from senior guard Delshawn Jackson Jr. (Hartford, Conn.) with 7:42 left in regulation. However, the Jumbos looked to make one last push, chipping away at the Blue Jays' lead and pulled within five, 62-57, after back-to-back three-point field goals with 4:23 left in the contest.

It was all Blue Jays from that point on though as their trademark defense clamped down and held the Jumbos scoreless (0-7 FG) for the remainder of the game. Saint Joseph used its defense to initiate its offense and closed the game with a 15-0 run to account for the 77-57 final margin of victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Kinder led a trio of USJ scorers in double figures on the night, matching his career-high with a game-high 15 points. He also pulled down nine rebounds and blocked three shots.
• Kinder netted his 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting from the field and went 1-for-3 from the from the charity stripe.
• O'Neill and Martin were the other Blue Jays in double figures, finishing with 13 points and 12 points, respectively.
• Samuels chipped in with eight points, snared a career-best and game-high 12 rebounds, and dished out four assists.
• Thoerner paced the Jumbos with 13 points on 6-for-15 shooting, including 1-for-6 from beyond the arc. He also grabbed five boards.
• USJ had its best rebounding game of the season and held a sizeable 50-38 edge on the glass.
• The Blue Jays forced 18 Tufts turnovers and turned those miscues into 20 USJ points.
• Saint Joseph held an edge in points in the paint, 44-36, and second-chance points, 17-6
• The Blue Jays outshot the Jumbos from the field 42.0% (29-69) to 38.5% (25-65).
• Tufts did not make a free throw in the contest (0-4), while Saint Joseph went 15-for-23 from the line.

NOTES

• USJ is now 2-1 all-time versus Tufts and the Blue Jays have won the last two consecutive meetings.
• The 20-point margin of victory is the largest in the series history.
• All five of USJ's wins this season have come against nationally-ranked opponents or opponents receiving votes in the top-25 poll.
• Saint Joseph has now held four of its five opponents to 60 points or less so far this season.

UP NEXT

Men's basketball returns back to the hardwood on Saturday, December 3 for its Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) opener on the road at Anna Maria College. Tipoff between the Blue Jays and AMCATS is slated for 12:00 p.m. inside the Fuller Activities Center in Paxton, Mass.