Men's Hoops Drops Non-Conference Finale at Nazareth, 78-75, Saturday Night

ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team dropped a heartbreaker to Nazareth University (Nazareth), 78-75, during the team's non-conference finale Saturday night inside Kidera Gymnasium in Rochester, N.Y. With the result, the Blue Jays move to 7-5 on the season while the Golden Flyers move to 6-4 overall.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Nazareth got off to a hot start, taking an early 12-4 edge with 13:21 on the clock.
• USJ responded with a 7-1 stretch, fueled by a triple and a dunk by junior forward Friedrich Feldrappe (Berlin, Germany) to close the deficit to two, 13-11, at the 11:13 mark.
• The Blue Jays continued to roll, taking their first lead of the game, 14-13, after junior wing Lence Altenor (Everett, Mass.) knocked down a three-pointer with 10:42 left in the half.
• However, the Golden Flyers would respond with an 8-0 run to jump out to a nine-point edge, 26-17, at the 7:56 mark.
• Nazareth would increase the gap to 12, 34-22, but seven straight points from Altneor pulled USJ back within six, 36-30, with 2:11 left in the first.
• Senior guard Amadou Kamara (West Haven, Conn.) closed out the first half in buzzer-beating fashion, draining a mid-range baseline jumper at the buzzer to cut the gap to four, 40-36, entering halftime.
• The two teams would trade buckets to open the second half, as Nazareth called a timeout at the 17:55 mark, leading 43-40.
• Freshman forward Adelphe Cisse (Pointe-Noire Congo) would give the Blue Jays their first lead since the 10:42 mark of the first half, knocking down a floater to establish a 44-43 lead at the 17:17 mark.
• Freshman guard Jakari Tertulien (Bridgeport, Conn.) would then start to heat up, scoring seven straight points before Altenor picked off a pass and finished at the other end, establishing a 57-50 USJ lead and forcing a Golden Flyers timeout with 12:26 left to play.
• Tertulien and Cisse continued to have strong second halves for the Blue Jays, combining for the teams next 10 points as USJ maintained a 67-59 lead, causing another Nazareth timeout with 7:52 on the clock.
• Nazareth would not go away though, closing the deficit back to five, 69-64, with 5:16 left in the half.
• The Golden Flyers went on to close the gap to two, 73-71, after knocking down a triple with 3:05 on the clock.
• The hosts continued to claw back, retaking the lead late, 75-74, as USJ called a timeout with 21 seconds left to play.
• The Blue Jays would have a chance to win the game late but could not find the winning bucket as Nazareth held on for the 78-75 victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Altenor paced the team with 22 points.
• Cisse had a career-day, posting a double-double after dropping a career-best 19 points and a team-high 10 rebounds. He also dished out a career-best and team-high five assists.
• Feldrappe also dropped double-figures, finishing with 16 points.
• USJ won the battle of the boards, outrebounding Nazareth, 36-33.
• The Blue Jays outshot the Golden Flyers, 46.0 percent (29-of-63) to 43.6 percent (24-of-55).
• Nazareth scored 18 points off 11 USJ turnovers.

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays return to Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play on Tuesday, January 7 against New England College. Tipoff against the Pilgrims inside Bridges Gym in Henniker, N.H., is set for 7:00 p.m.

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