BOSTON, Mass. – For the fourth straight season, men's basketball will be competing for the Harbor Invitational championship as the Beacons defeated the College of St. Joseph (VT) by the final 85-76 Friday evening in the Clark Athletic Center Gymnasium.
Senior Carl Joseph (Brockton, Mass.) carried the Beacons past the Fighting Saints with an impressive 29 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and two blocked shots. The Beacons now stand at a perfect 5-0, while St. Joseph dropped to 5-6 following the loss.
From the field Joseph was 12-for-18, while at the line he finished 5-for-9. Gregory Young (Dorchester, Mass.) also had a strong performance finishing with 18 points, seven boards, six assists, and four steals. Off the bench, Karl Agenor (Dorchester, Mass.) continued to give the Beacons huge minutes as he finished with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
On top of the standout play from Joseph, Young, and Agenor, the Beacons continued to play strong team basketball as they combined for an impressive 21 assists. Defensively, they forced 24 turnovers, which they turned into 25 points. In the paint the Beacons outscored the Fighting Saints 36-20, as they continued their strong aggressive play.
After a shaky first half, in which UMass led by just one (37-36) going into the break, the Beacons came out firing on all cylinders in the second. With a 13-2 run in the first five minutes, UMass found itself leading by 11, having scored three 3-pointers during that hot-streak. Fred Epps capped off opening minute run with his first three of the season.
Even with the double-figure lead, the Fighting Saints did not go away quietly, as they came charging back to eventually tie and retake the lead with less than seven minutes to play. However a 9-0 run, quickly changed the momentum back to the Beacons corner and gave them a 73-66 lead with just over four minutes left in the contest.
The Beacons would keep their distance from St. Joseph's by hitting their free throws over the final three minutes. Young sealed the win for the Beacons with a strong dunk.
On the night, UMass shot 43.5% from the field and 45.0% from 3-point range. The two teams were even on the glass, with each squad grabbing 39 boards. The Beacons also managed six blocks and had eight steals in the non-conference win.
The Beacons will take on Eastern Nazarene College tomorrow at 3 p.m. in a match-up of two undefeated teams. The Lions defeated Colby College by the final of 74-68 to improve to 6-0. Colby and St. Joseph's will meet tomorrow at 1 p.m. in the consolation game.