Men's Basketball Takes Down Rivier, 83-63, Advances to GNAC Semifinals

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The third-seeded University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team took care of business at home, defeating sixth-seeded Rivier University (Rivier), 83-63, during the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Quarterfinals Tuesday night inside James. A Calhoun Gymnasium in West Hartford, Conn. With the result, the Blue Jays improved to 19-7 overall and advanced to the GNAC Semifinals, while the Raiders concluded their season 14-12 overall.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Rivier jumped out to a strong start, holding a 7-1 lead at the 16:16 mark.
• The Blue Jays would fire back, utilizing a 10-0 run, paced by a pair of triples from senior guard Kevin Cummings (Portsmouth, N.H.), to take an 11-7 edge with 13:07 on the clock.
• The Raiders would put an end to the run, but USJ answered with a 7-0 stretch, fueled entirely by junior forward Friedrich Feldrappe (Berlin, Germany), to hold a 18-9 lead with 11:03 left in the half.
• USJ and Rivier would go on to trade buckets, until a 7-2 USJ run, featuring an old-fashioned three-point play from junior guard Lence Altenor (Everett, Mass.), saw the Blue Jays establish an 11-point lead, 35-24, with 5:08 on the clock.
• The two sides continued to battle to close out the half, as freshman forward Adelphe Cisse (Pointe-Noire, Congo) knocked down a jumper in the closing seconds to send the Blue Jays into the halftime break with a 44-34 lead.
• The Raiders opened the second half on a 5-0 stretch, cutting the gap to 44-39, with 17:06 on the clock.
• However, USJ swung back with an 8-2 stretch, featuring four points from freshman guard Jakari Tertulien (Bridgeport, Conn.), reestablishing an 11-point lead, 52-41, with 13:48 on the clock.
• The Blue Jays began to break open the score, as an 11-0 run, capped off by a three-point play from Feldrappe, extended the gap to 71-49 with 6:12 left to play.
• The Raiders would not be able to overcome the deficit, as USJ secured the victory, 83-63.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE 

• Feldrappe paced the team with a double-double, scoring a game-high 21 points while hauling in a game-high 11 rebounds.
• Tertulien, Cummings, Cisse and Altenor all scored in double-figures, dropping 18, 17, 12, and 10 points, respectively.
• Cisse dished out a team-best four assists.
• USJ outshot Rivier, 50.0 percent (31-of-62) to 40.0 percent (26-of-65).
• The Blue Jays dominated the glass, outrebounding the Raiders, 45-25.
• USJ took advantage of the inside game, scoring 42 points from inside the paint.

UP NEXT

The Blue Jays head to Newton, Mass. for the GNAC Semifinals on Thursday, February 27 against second-seeded Lasell University. Tipoff against the Lasers inside the Athletic Center is set for 7:00 p.m.

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