Cisse Drops Career-High 28 Points, Leads Men's Hoops Past Rivier, 81-70, Saturday

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - All five starters for the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team scored in double-figures, including freshman forward Adelphe Cisse (Point-Noire, Congo) who poured in a career-high 28 points to lead the Blue Jays to an 81-70 victory over Rivier University on Saturday afternoon. With the result, USJ improved to 11-5 on the season and 5-0 in GNAC play, while the Raiders dropped to 10-6, 3-2 in conference play.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• It was a slow shooting start for both teams, but junior guard Lence Altenor (Everett, Mass.) connected on a three-pointer to give the Blue Jays a 6-2 lead at the 15:02 mark.
• With USJ trailing 13-12, sophomore guard Alijah Lovelace (Brooklyn, N.Y.) made a 3-pointer right in front of the Raiders bench to give lead back to the home team, 15-13 with 9:23 left in the first half.
• The three-point barrage continued for the Blue Jays as five of the next seven baskets were all from behind the arc, which was finished off by a triple from senior guard Kevin Cummings (Portsmouth, N.H.) to give USJ a 34-20 lead with 5:14 left on the first half clock.
• Cisse got off to a hot start offensively at the start of the second half, scoring the team's first seven points, capped off by an and-one layup to give USJ 49-37 lead with 18:14 to play.
• With the score tied at 60, Cisse got it going again on the offensive end, scoring six of the Blue Jays next eight points to push the Saint Joseph led to 68-64 left with 6:10 left.
• The Raiders pulled within three, 70-67 with just over five minutes to play, but Cisse answered the bell again, scoring five straight USJ points, giving his team a 77-67 lead with 3:15 left in the game. 

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• USJ is now 7-0 all-time against the Raiders
• The Blue Jays extended its winning streak to a season-high four games
• Five players scored in double-digits: Cisse (28 points), Altenor (13 points), Friedrich Feldrappe (12 points), Cummings (11 points), Jakari Tertulien (10 points)
• USJ made eight of their nine three-pointers in the first half
• Saint Joseph turned it over just nine times. It's the fourth time this season, USJ has turned it over less than 10 times this season (3-1)
• USJ has won 67 consecutive GNAC regular season games.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays will head back on the road, taking on Emmanuel College inside the Jean Yawkey Center in Boston, Mass, on Tuesday, January 21. Tipoff against the Saints  is set for 7:30 p.m.

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