Men's Hoops Stopped by Franklin & Marshall in Opening Game of CNU Holiday INNvitational

NEWPORT NEWS, Va,- Despite leading for the majority of the first 15 minutes of the game, it was a major offensive struggle for the University of St. Joseph men's basketball team the rest of the game, against Franklin & Marshall on Saturday afternoon. The Diplomats took an 18-15 lead with 3:46 left in the first half and the Blue Jays were incapable of getting the lead back. Falling 59-39 in the first game of the Christopher Newport Holiday INNvitational. The 39 points scored is a program-low for USJ, who fell to 3-2 on the season. Franklin & Marshall improved to 5-2 on the year. 

HOW IT HAPPENED 

The Blue Jays jumped out to a 14-7 lead with 9:43 left in the first half after a layup from Junior guard Lence Altenor (Everett, Mass.). However, it was all downhill for the Blue Jays as the Diplomats took an, 18-15, lead with 3:46 left in the first half coming from a Sebastian Charles (Roselle,N.J.) three-pointer. The USJ offense failed to get the lead back for the rest of the game once they lost it they also finished the first half missing their final 10 shots, while turning the ball over six times. The lack of scoring allowed the Diplomats to end the opening half on a, 17-2, run and take a, 24-16, lead at the intermission. 

Changing sides did not help the USJ shooting woes as the Blue Jays missed four of their first five shots to start the second half, allowing Franklin & Marshall to jump out to a, 33-18, lead. Saint Joseph would make a push in the middle of the second half as Altenor and Senior guard Kevin Cummings (Portsmouth, N.H.) hit back-to-back three-pointers. Then Freshman guard Jakari Tertulien (Bridgeport, Conn.) made a pair of free throws with 8 minutes left to cut the deficit to within reach at 11. However, the Blue Jays went ice cold once again, missing six of their last eight shots and turning the ball over five more times before the game's final horn.  

The USJ defense was able to keep the Franklin & Marshall in check. The Diplomats came into the game averaging 76.6 points per game, but the Blue Jays held Franklin & Marshall to 59 points and 30.5 field goal percentage, both being season lows. Vakaris Grauslys (Vilnius, Lithuania) and Kevin Nowoswiat (West Chester, Pa.) each scored a game-high 19 points to lead the way for the Diplomats. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• It's the Blue Jays first loss in program history when allowing 59 points or fewer in a game (41-1). 

• USJ scored a program-low 39 points. The previous low was 53 points against Penn State-Harrisburg in the first round of the 2022 NCAA Tournament. 

• The Blue Jays also shot a program-low field percentage of 29.2%. Surpassing their previous low of 30.2%, which was against LaGrange College at the Daytona Shootout in 2018, the program's first year of men's athletics. 

• Altenor was the only Blue Jay to score in double-digits (15 points, 12 in the 2nd half) 

• USJ is now 8-7 all-time in neutral site games in program history 

UP NEXT 

It's a quick turnaround for the Blue Jays as they will face Transylvania University, out of Kentucky, tomorrow afternoon at 2pm ET for the third game of the Christopher Newport Holiday INNvintational. It will be the first meeting of all-time between the Blue Jays and the Pioneers. Meanwhile, Franklin & Marshall will play #10 Christopher Newport at 4pm ET.

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