BABSON PARK, Mass. – In a matchup of two conflicting offensive styles, the University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team bested the Babson College Beavers on the road, 73-64, in a non-conference contest Wednesday night inside Staake Gymnasium in Babson Park, Mass. After suffering their first loss of the 2023-24 season in their previous outing against Trinity, the Blue Jays bounced-back into the win column with the triumph and improve to 5-1 overall on the year. The Beavers snapped a three-game win streak with the setback and drop to 4-3 overall.

USJ was notably more active inside the arc and in the paint offensively compared to Babson, leading to higher percentage looks at the rim. Overall, the Blue Jays shot 51.8% (29-56) from the field, including 55.6% (5-9) from three in the win. More than half of the Beavers' field-goal attempts came from beyond the arc, connecting on 34.3% (23-67) of their shots overall, including 28.2% (11-39) from distance. USJ outscored Babson in the paint on the night, 40-18.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• USJ's senior forward Jalen Samuels (Franklin, Mass.) opened the scoring with a layup, but the Beavers responded with an 8-0 run to take an early lead after 3:27 of action.
• Samuels extinguished the Beavers' run with an old-fashioned three-point play and it ignited an 11-1 stretch for the Blue Jays to give them back the lead (13-9) with just over 11 minutes left in the opening half.
• Babson's sophomore forward Mark Woolhouse (Lebanon, N.J.) levelled the contest at 15-all via a jumper with 8:15 remaining on the first-half timer, but USJ responded with the next six points to go up 21-15 with 5:29 left to play in the half.
• Babson's junior guard Nate Amado (Hanson, Mass.) canned a three to get the Beavers within three (25-22) with just under three minutes before the break, but USJ's senior guard Tyree Mitchell (East Hartford, Conn.) answered with a triple of his own on the Blue Jays' next trip down the floor to reestablish a six-point edge (28-22).
• After the Beavers received a bucket from graduate student guard Steph Baxter (Worcester, Mass.) to make 28-24, the Blue Jays closed the opening period on a high note as senior guard Jared Simmons (Newington, Conn.) drilled a right-wing three on their final possession of the half to take a 31-24 advantage into the intermission.
• A Samuels jumper opened the second-half scoring to put USJ up by nine (33-24), but Babson responded with a 13-6 run to pull back within two (39-37) with 16:17 to go in regulation. The Beavers finally caught fire from beyond the arc, netting three longballs during the spurt.
• Four straight points from Mitchell followed by a Samuels two-handed dunk ensued for a quick 6-0 run to reestablish an eight-point USJ lead (45-37) with just shy of 15 minutes to play.
• Babson continued to rely on the three-ball as its next three made field-goals came from downtown and were part of a 9-4 stretch to get the hosts back within three (49-46) with 12:46 remaining.
• The Blue Jays were able to build their advantage to a big as eight (59-51) over the next few minutes, but the Beavers did not let the visitors pull away as they answered with a 6-0 run to get back within two (59-57) with 6:52 left on the clock.
• Both teams went shot-for-shot and it remained a two-point game (66-64) after Babson's Amado converted a layup with just over a minute to go and the Beavers called a timeout.
• Out of the stoppage, USJ's sophomore forward Friedrich Feldrappe (Berlin, Germany) hit the shot of the game, draining a three from the top of the arc to give the Blue Jays a 69-64 lead with 49 seconds to play.
• The Beavers missed a pair of opportunities on their next trip down the floor, were forced to foul, and USJ's sophomore guard Lence Altenor (Everett, Mass.) went 4-for-4 from the line down the stretch to seal a 73-64 victory for the Blue Jays.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Three players finished in double figures for the Blue Jays on the night led by Samuels who connected on 8-of-15 attempts from the field for a team-high 17 points. Mitchell poured in 15 (5-9 FG, 1-2 3FG, 4-4 FT) and Altenor added 13 (4-7 FG, 1-2 3FG, 4-4 FT).
• Amado dropped a game-high 23 points (8-23 FG, 4-13 3FG, 3-4 FT) and Baxter added 18 (7-11 FG, 2-4 3FG, 2-2 FT) to pace the Beavers.
• USJ won the battle on the glass, 37-32, with Mitchell grabbing a game-high eight boards.
• The Blue Jays are undefeated against the Beavers in the all-time series history and now lead 5-0.

UP NEXT

Men's basketball opens Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play, making the trek up to Saint Joseph's College of Maine on Saturday, December 2. Tipoff between the Blue Jays and Monks is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. inside the Harold Alfond Center in Standish, Maine.

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