CHICOPEE, Mass. - The nationally-ranked No. 9 University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team blew by the Blazers of Elms College, 85-49, on the road in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) contest at Picknelly Arena inside the Maguire Center Friday night. With the victory, the Blue Jays remain the lone undefeated team in Division III men's hoops, improve to 15-0 overall, and move to 10-0 in the GNAC. Meanwhile, Elms dips to 1-14 overall and 1-9 in conference play with the setback. Saint Joseph swept the two meetings with Elms this season winning by an average margin of 31 points.

GAME INFORMATION 
Score: Saint Joseph 85, Elms 49
Records: USJ 15-0 (10-0 GNAC), ELMS 1-14 (1-9 GNAC)
Location: Picknelly Arena | Chicopee, Mass.

HOW IT HAPPENED
USJ's defense and a steady stream of bench contributors were once again the storyline in this one. The Blue Jays, who entered the game with the best scoring margin in the nation, picked up their seventh victory this season by 30-plus points. Junior forward Jalen Samuels (Franklin, Mass.) was the high-man for the visitors, scoring a career-best 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field. The Blue Jays' bench outscored the Blazers' bench, 45-25, while also holding the hosts to just seven made baskets in the first and second halves respectively. Everything Elms got in the basket was difficult, as the Blue Jays held Elms to 25.5% (14-55) shooting for the game. An 11-point halftime lead quickly ballooned to an unreachable count for the Blazers.

Up 35-24 at the break, Samuels connected for 11 of his 15 points in the second half, including 4-of-5 field goals. USJ's key run came at the start of the second stanza which featured a 16-3 push, capped by a three from one of the best three-point shooters in the GNAC this season, senior guard Ryan O'Neill (Litchfield, Conn.). O'Neill had 10 points in the second half himself and the Blue Jays took a commanding 51-27 lead with 13:05 to play, a lead that would not be relinquished.

COACH QUOTE [Glen Miller]
"Tyshawn Jackson and Jalen Samuels gave us a good lift off the bench tonight. After a lackluster first half, we turned up our intensity on defense, and offensively we also did a much better job attacking the paint and playing inside out."

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
O'Neill had 14 points and six rebounds on the night, while Samuels added 15 points, eight boards, three assists, and two steals in 20 minutes of floor time off the bench. Freshman guard Tyshawn Jackson (Hartford, Conn.) had nine points off the bench, while senior forward Chaylyn Martin (Hartford, Conn.) scored nine as well in his sixth start of the 2021-22 season.

For the Blazers, freshman guard Roy Mckeithen had an impressive outing with a game-high 20 points on a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line. He also connected on four of his seven long balls, all coming off the bench. Senior guard Justin Feliciano (Springfield, Mass.) added eight points but struggled shooting the ball on the night (2-8 FG) in the setback for the Blazers.

UP NEXT 
The Blue Jays conclude their critical five-game GNAC road trip with a visit to the Pride of Regis College on Sunday, January 30 at 7:00 p.m. Spectators outside of the Regis community are currently not allowed at Pride indoor sporting events, but fans can head over to www.usjbluejays.com to catch the action live!

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