WEST HARTFORD, Conn. - The No. 8 nationally-ranked University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team continued its dominant play, lashing the Lasers of Lasell University (LAS), 90-56, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest inside the O'Connell Center Tuesday night. The triumph keeps the Blue Jays undefeated on the 2021-22 season, improving them to 11-0 overall and 6-0 in the GNAC. USJ has won all 11 of its games by double digits this season and remains one of just two undefeated teams left in Division III. Meanwhile, Lasell dips to 8-5 overall and 5-2 in the conference with the setback.

With the victory, the Blue Jays have also now won 13 consecutive games dating back to the abbreviated 2020-21 season and 20 consecutive conference games, with their last GNAC loss coming in the 2019 GNAC Championship in USJ's first-ever season as a program. The 13-game streak is the second-longest active winning streak in Division III, while the 20-game conference streak is also the second-longest such active streak.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: Lasell 56, Saint Joseph 90
Records: LAS 8-5 (5-2 GNAC), USJ 11-0 (6-0 GNAC)
Location: O'Connell Center | West Hartford, Conn.

HOW IT HAPPENED
For the third consecutive game and the fourth time this season, the Blue Jays led from start to finish en route to picking up their 11th win of the year. USJ raced out to a 10-1 advantage less than three minutes into the contest behind the play of the Martin brothers, senior point guard Jaecee Martin (Hartford, Conn.) and senior guard Chaylyn Martin (Hartford, Conn.), who combined for the Blue Jays' first 10 points. A three-ball from senior guard EJ Day (Norwalk, Conn.) followed by a layup from graduate senior forward Kevin Vanderhorst (Lawrence, Mass.) fueled a 5-0 spurt for Lasell to trim the gap to four, 10-6, with 14:38 left to play in the opening half, but that would be as close as the Lasers would get for the remainder of the game.

Five more points from the Martin brothers ignited a 20-6 run for Saint Joseph over the ensuing seven-plus minutes of action to break the game open and push the USJ lead to 18 (30-12) with 7:10 left to play in the opening stanza, as the Blue Jays would lead by double digits the rest of the way. Both teams traded baskets until USJ held Lasell scoreless for the final 3:30 of the first half and used a 12-0 run to build a sizeable 48-17 lead heading into the break.

The Blue Jays maintained their 31-point advantage over the first 10 minutes of the second half and led 66-35 with 10:18 left to play in regulation. Lasell exploded for a quick 11-0 run fueled by three three-pointers from freshman guard Conan McCusker (Dorchester, Mass.) to cut the gap to 20 points (66-46) with just over seven minutes left to play. However, the lead USJ built was insurmountable for the Lasers and a 20-8 burst by the Blue Jays over the final 6:30 of the game sealed the victory, 90-56.

PLAYER QUOTE [Jaecee Martin on his play this season]
"My teammates have a lot of confidence in me. I've been playing a bigger role this year as a senior and we have a good senior class core, so just having the trust within the coaching staff and my teammates, I think that's what has helped me be succesful so far this year."

COACH QUOTE [Glen Miller]
"I thought we started the game focused on the defensive end of the floor, and our execution allowed us to build a sizable lead at the half. Although the win was never in question in the second half, we did not play well, resulting in thirty-nine second-half points for Lasell. The challenge as we advance is to build consistency with our approach and execution for a full forty minutes."

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
Jaecee Martin led five USJ players who finished in double figures on the night, scoring a team-high 19 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the floor, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. He also added six assists, four steals, and three rebounds. Senior guard Ryan O'Neill (Litchfield, Conn.) logged his second career double-double in the triumph, finishing with 16 points (5-11 FG, 2-4 3FG) and 10 rebounds. Chaylyn Martin, who has been excellent for the Blue Jays the last three games, chipped in with 14 points (6-10 FG), five boards, and three blocks, while senior forward Jordan Powell (Middletown, Conn.) and senior guard Tyree Mitchell (East Hartford, Conn.) added 11 points and five rebounds each.

Day was the games high scorer as he paced Lasell with 21 points on 7-of-15 shooting from the field, including 4-of-8 from downtown. McCusker added nine points (3-7 3FG) and four rebounds in 12 minutes off the bench for the Lasers, while Vanderhorst contributed five points and grabbed a team-best six rebounds.

Saint Joseph made more than half of its shots from the field for the third straight game and seventh time this season, shooting 53.8% (35-65) on the evening. The Blue Jays also shot 54.5% (6-11) from beyond the arc, marking the third straight game they have drained six triples. USJ, one of the best defensive teams statistically in the nation, held Lasell to 25.4% (18-71) shooting overall and 25.7% (9-35) from three.

The Blue Jays held a big edge in the battle inside, outrebounding the Lasers (53-38) with a sizeable advantage in points in the paint (50-16). USJ used its speed and athleticism to create turnovers and give Lasell fits in transition all game, finishing with significant margins in fastbreak points (26-10) and points off turnovers (29-6).

UP NEXT
The Blue Jays return to the hardwood Thursday, January 20 for a Great Northeast Athletic Conference matchup on the road at Saint Joseph's College of Maine. Tipoff between the Blue Jays and Monks is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. on Mike McDevitt Court inside the Harold Alfond Center. Spectators are currently not allowed at indoor athletic events inside the Harold Alfond center, but fans can follow all of the action live via the links to the Monks' livestream which can be found on www.usjbluejays.com.

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