PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The No. 9 University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team held off a late charge from the Wildcats of Johnson & Wales University (JWU) to pick up its Division III-best 16th straight win and 14th of the 2021-22 season, 70-57, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) road matchup inside the Wildcat Center Wednesday evening. Saint Joseph, which remains the only unbeaten team left in Division III, improved to 14-0 overall and 9-0 in the GNAC with the victory, while Johnson & Wales slides to 6-8 overall and 4-4 in league play with the setback. The Blue Jays are now 2-1 all-time against the Wildcats and have won the last two meetings.

GAME INFORMATION 
Score: Saint Joseph (Conn.) 70, Johnson & Wales 57
Records: USJ 14-0 (9-0 GNAC), JWU 6-8 (4-4 GNAC)
Location: Wildcat Center | Providence, R.I.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Blue Jays and Wildcats traded buckets over the opening seven minutes of action until senior guard Tyree Mitchell (East Hartford Conn.) canned a three-pointer to build a five-point USJ lead, 14-9, with 12:52 left in the opening half. The Wildcats faught back and trimmed the gap to three (18-15) with just under nine minutes to play in the stanza, but the Blue Jays would then rattle off their biggest run of the half to start to take control of the game.

A Mitchell jumper ignited a 10-2 USJ spurt over the next four minutes to ballon the visitor's lead to 11 (28-17) with 4:45 to go before the intermission. Both teams traded points for the remainder of the half and USJ went into the locker rooms leading 37-27.

The Wildcats came out of the break on fire and quickly cut their 10-point deficit down to two, 37-25, scoring the first eight points to start the second half. A Bryan Davis (Miramar, Fla.) layup followed by back-to-back triples from Josh Zangerle (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.) accounted for the speedy JWU run which culminated in less than the first two minutes to start the second period.

Clinging to a five-point lead (47-42) with under 12 minutes to go in regulation, the Blue Jays picked it up and pushed their lead back to double digits behind the play of senior forward Jordan Powell (Middletown, Conn.). Powell converted on an old-fashioned three-point play and went on to score the Blue Jays' next nine points to put USJ ahead 56-44 with eight minutes to play.

The Blue Jays would maintain their double-digit for the remainder of the contest. A pair of free throws from Zangerle cut it to 10 (62-52) with two minutes left, but USJ made 8-of-10 free throws in the closing minutes to secure its 15th straight double-digit victory, 70-57.

COACH QUOTE [Glen Miller]
"Our defense carried us to victory tonight. We held JWU to 30% shooting from the field, making up for our poor shooting and careless turnovers. At this critical juncture of the season, our offensive execution and rebounding must be a constant. We did get out in transition more in this one, allowing us to go on a few mini runs."

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
The Blue Jays leaned heavily on offense on senior guard Ryan O'Neill (Litchfield, Conn.) and Powell, who were the lone scorers in double figures for USJ in the triumph. O'Neill tied a game-high with 18 points (5-13 FG, 2-8 3FG, 6-6 FT), scoring 12 of his 18 in the first half, and also grabbed four rebounds. Powell added 15 points, including 11 in the second half, on 7-of-11 shooting overall from the floor and registered three blocked shots. Saint Joseph got 19 points off the bench, including nine from Mitchell and eight from junior guard/forward Jalen Samuels (Franklin, Mass.).

Davis, the reigning GNAC Player of the Week, had himself another double-double finishing with 10 points and a game-high 21 rebounds to lead the Wildcats. His 21 boards were also a season best. Zangerle tied a game-high with 18 points on 5-of-13 shooting from the field, including 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. He was also perfect from the free-throw line knocking down 5-of-5 attempts.

The Blue Jays shot just 44.3% (27-61) from the field in the win, but defensively held the Wildcats to 30.3% (20-66) shooting. JWU doubled up USJ with six three-pointers, but the Blue Jays owned a sizeable 36-20 advantage in points in the paint. USJ also converted better in transition, scoring 29 points off of 21 JWU turnovers.

UP NEXT 
The Blue Jays continue their critical five-game GNAC road trip with a visit next to the Blazers of Elms College on Friday, January 28 at 6:00 p.m. Spectators are currently not allowed at indoor athletic events inside the Maguire Center, but fans can follow all of the action live via the links to Elms' livestream which can be found on www.usjbluejays.com.

Follow USJ Athletics 
For the latest on University of Saint Joseph athletics, follow the Blue Jays on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube. 

Fans can also download the USJ Front Row Mobile App and subscribe to our Newsletter and Text Alerts. #FearTheFlock #GoBlueJays