Men's Basketball Eyes Third GNAC Championship Versus Monks Saturday Night

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The top-seeded University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team will look to secure its third Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) title in the program's six-year history, taking on the visiting third-seeded Saint Joseph's College (SJC) Monks in the GNAC Men's Basketball Tournament Championship Saturday night at 7:00 p.m. inside James A. Calhoun Gymnasium in West Hartford, Conn.

#1 USJ BLUE JAYS (23-4, 14-0 GNAC) vs. #3 SJC MONKS (18-9, 12-2 GNAC) 
LOCATION: James A. Calhoun Gymnasium (West Hartford, Conn.) 
DATE/TIME: Saturday, Feb. 24 (7:00 p.m.)  
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WHAT'S NEXT?

The winner of Saturday's GNAC Championship game earns an automatic berth into the 2024 NCAA DIII Men's Basketball Championship, which begins on Friday, March 1st.

HOW THEY GOT HERE

#1 USJ cruised past #8 Rivier University, 97-65, in the GNAC Quarterfinals on Tuesday night and outlasted #5 Norwich University, 69-60, in the GNAC Semifinals on Thursday night. In the win over Rivier, sophomore forward Friedrich Feldrappe (Berlin, Germany) led six Blue Jays in double digits with 19 points on 8-of-8 shooting from the floor, while senior forward Jalen Samuels (Franklin, Mass.) paced USJ with 19 points and 20 rebounds in the semifinal triumph over Norwich.

#3 SJC advanced to the GNAC Championship for the first time since 2014 after posting a pair of one-point victories in the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds with wins over #6 Emmanuel College (74-73) and #2 Albertus Magnus College (88-87) on Tuesday and Thursday, respectively. Sophomore guard John Paul Frazier (York, Maine) scored 19 points in the victory over Emmanuel and junior guard Julian Llopiz (Boston, Mass.) scored a career-high 27 points in the thrilling triumph at Albertus Magnus, the reigning GNAC Champions.

BRACKETOLOGY

Play-In – Monday, Feb. 19
#7 Regis def. #10 Dean, 88-61 | BOX
#8 Rivier def. #9 Colby-Sawyer, 98-70 | BOX

Quarterfinals – Tuesday, Feb. 20
#1 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) def. #8 Rivier, 97-65 | BOX
#2 Albertus Magnus def. #7 Regis, 79-67 | BOX
#3 Saint Joseph's (Maine) def. #6 Emmanuel, 74-73 | BOX
#5 Norwich def. #4 Lasell, 68-67 | BOX

Semifinals – Thursday, Feb. 22
#1 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) def. #5 Norwich, 69-60 | BOX
#3 Saint Joseph's (Maine) def. #2 Albertus Magnus, 88-87 | BOX

Championship – Saturday, Feb. 24
#3 Saint Joseph's (Maine) at #1 University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), 7 p.m.

SEASON AT A GLANCE

#1 University of Saint Joseph:

• The Blue Jays lead the conference in points (2,302), points per game (85.3), FG% (49.3%), 3FG% (39.4%), defensive rebounds per game (28.4), and average home attendance (559) and rank second in the GNAC in FG made per game (30.4), FT made per game (16.3), FT attempted per game (21.9), FT% (74.6%), and fewest turnovers per game (11.9)
• University of Saint Joseph is ranked sixth in NCAA DIII Men's Basketball in 3FG%
• USJ has won 15 consecutive games and capped the 2023-24 season having won 62-consecutive regular season conference contests
• Six USJ players are averaging at least 6.0 PPG, including three who net 13.0 or better per contest
• The Blue Jays are 12-2 at home this winter and averaging 86.6 points per game at James A. Calhoun Gymnasium

#3 Saint Joseph's College:

• The Monks lead the GNAC in assists per game (19.4), rank second in 3FG made per game (10.4), 3FG attempted per game (29.6), and rebound margin per game (4.9), and sit in third in points (2,138), points per game (79.2), FG made per game (29.2), FG% (45.3%), and rebounds per game (38.8)
• Saint Joseph's has won 11-consecutive games – the longest streak since the Monks won 23 straight in 1999 - and 15 of the last 16 since December 30th
• Five SJC players average at least 10 points per game with seven scoring 6.0 or more per contest overall
• Saint Joseph's has made 10 or more three-pointers in 15 different games this winter
• The Monks have an 8-5 record on the road this season and average 80.2 PPG in away contests

PLAYERS TO WATCH

#1 University of Saint Joseph:

• (#25) Senior guard Tyree Mitchell (East Hartford, Conn.) leads the Blue Jays with 17.1 PPG and tops the GNAC in 3FG% (50.0%, 53-106)
• (#10) Senior guard Jalen Samuels (Franklin, Mass.) is averaging 16.7 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game and ranks second in the conference in free throws made (119), fifth in rebounds (204), and sixth in FG% (54.7%, 164-300) and rebounds per game (7.6)
• (#11) Sophomore guard Lence Altenor (Everett, Mass.) is contributing 13.1 PPG and 3.4 RPG and leads the GNAC in FT% (91.8%, 67-73) and ranks fourth in 3FG% (42.4%, 56-132)

#3 Saint Joseph's College:

• (#24) Sophomore guard John Paul Frazier (York, Maine) is averaging 14.9 PPG and ranks second in the conference – and fifth in the nation - in three pointers made (85) and fourth in the league in FT% (88.5%, 54-61)
• (#23) Graduate forward Ashtyn Abbott (Farmingdale, Maine) contributes 11.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per game; he ranks 10th in the GNAC with a 52.1% (122-234) FG%
• (#10) Freshman guard Remijo Wani (Portland, Maine) has earned three GNAC Rookie of the Week accolades and averages 11.1 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists

COACHES CORNER

#1 University of Saint Joseph: Glen Miller (20th Season, 3rd as Head Coach at USJ; 308-217, .587)

Miller – former Associate Head Men's Basketball Coach at the University of Connecticut – is in his third season as Head Coach at USJ after three seasons as Associate Head Coach under previous Head Coach Jim Calhoun. Last year, Miller guided the Blue Jays during a historic season that saw USJ ascend to the No. 1 nationally-ranked team while posting a 29-2 record, the most wins in a single season in program history, including a perfect 18-0 mark in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play. Though the Blue Jays fell to Albertus Magnus in the GNAC Championship, they continued their historic season after earning an at-large berth into the NCAA Tournament. After defeating Chatham University in the First Round and Williams College in the Second Round, USJ advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before falling to nationally-ranked #9 Wheaton (Ill.), 74-67.

#3 Saint Joseph's College: Tyler Ackley – 3rd Season (42-39, .519)

Named the fifth Head Coach in the history of the Monks' Men's Basketball program in September 2021, Ackley endured a 9-18 opening season before leading SJC to a 15-12 mark last winter and an 18-9 line, including a 12-2 record in GNAC play, this season. Ackley arrived at Saint Joseph's College from Colby College, where he served as The John "Swisher" Mitchell Assistant Coach for four years and, in 2020, helped lead the Mules to their first-ever NESCAC Championship game appearance, as well as their first NCAA Tournament berth in 23 years.

LAST TIME OUT (USJ 92, SJC 73 - Standish, Maine 12/2/23)  [BOX]

The Blue Jays led wire-to-wire in both team's 2023-24 GNAC opener and opened the contest by making 7-of-8 shots from the floor en route to securing a 19-10 advantage with 14:11 left in the first half. The Monks kept pace and trailed by seven points (34-27) after graduate forward Ashtyn Abbott (Farmingdale, Maine) hit a pair of free-throw shots with 5:35 to play before the break.

USJ took a 51-33 into the locker rooms, but SJC cut its deficit down to 10 points (64-54) with 13:11 left, but the Monks would get no closer than that, as the Blue Jays maintained a double-digit advantage – including a game-high 26-point (90-64) cushion with 2:38 on the clock - until the final whistle.

The Blue Jays shot 63.3% (19-30) from the floor in the first half and 55.9% (33-59) from the field overall. The Monks faced an uphill battle after shooting 29.7% (11-37) from the floor in the first half and capped the conference opener with a 36.8% (25-68) success rate.

USJ's sophomore guard Lence Altenor (Everett, Mass.) led all scorers with 20 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the floor, while SJC's freshman guard Remijo Wani (Portland, Maine) led the Monks with 13 points and added two assists and a pair of steals.

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

The Blue Jays lead the all-time series 7-1 against the Monks and have won the last seven consecutive meetings. USJ is a perfect 4-0 versus SJC at home.

GNAC TOURNAMENT HISTORY

USJ has played in the GNAC Championship game every year since starting the program in 2018-19, as the Blue Jays fell to Albertus Magnus in 2019 and claimed their first conference crown with an 88-84 title bout triumph over the Falcons in 2020. USJ toppled Albertus, 94-67, in the 2022 GNAC Championship before falling to the Falcons, 83-79, in the 2023 title bout. There was no GNAC Championship held in 2021 due to COVID-19.

The Monks have never missed the GNAC Tournament in 16 seasons as a member of the conference and have won at least one postseason contest in three of their last four trips. Saint Joseph's College is 16-14 in GNAC tourney play with a GNAC Championship in 2009 and appearances in the title game in 2011 and 2014.

Saturday's matchup marks the fourth time the Blue Jays and Monks have met in the conference tournament. USJ has ended the Monks' season in the last three tourney meetings, including a 91-86 semifinal decision in 2019, a 95-45 quarterfinal defeat in 2022, and an 88-49 semifinal triumph last year.

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