WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – It was a storybook conference tournament ending for the top-seeded University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team, which took the league by storm this season, even the almighty Albertus Magnus College (AMC) Falcons, as the Blue Jays dominated from start to finish in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Championship game, 94-67, over the Falcons to win their second straight conference crown, all in front of a capacity O'Connell Center crowd Sunday afternoon.
GAME INFORMATION
Score: #2 Albertus Magnus 67, #1 Saint Joseph 94
Records: AMC (17-7), USJ (26-1)
Location: O'Connell Athletic Center | West Hartford, Conn.
Notes: GNAC Championship
Saint Joseph and Albertus Magnus fans flocked to the new-look OC for a GNAC-record third-straight championship game meeting between two new, but bitter Connecticut rivals. Each program won a GNAC crown on their home court the previous two completed full seasons. The rubber match would decide bragging rights and the GNAC's automatic qualifier. Saint Joseph, coming off back-to-back playoff wins by 50+ points, never felt the pressure even when the game felt like it should, taking as big as a 36-point lead on the eight-time GNAC Champion Falcons, and never looking back in route to the victory.
USJ's 27-point win is the largest in the GNAC Championship history since AMC defeated Saint Joseph's College of Maine by 35 in the 2014 title game. It also marked the first set of back-to-back GNAC Championships won by a program since Albertus Magnus hoisted the trophy in 2014 and 2015. The Blue Jays' two conference titles is now tied for the second-most in GNAC men's basketball history, only behind AMC who has eight. The Falcons are now 8-6 all-time in the GNAC title game, while USJ is 2-1 in its brief history as a program. It marks the ninth overall GNAC title in USJ school history, with USJ holding a 9-3 record all-time in GNAC title games across all sports.
Senior point guard Jaecee Martin (Hartford, Conn.) stole the show Sunday finishing with a career-high 31 points on 11-of-16 shooting from the floor. He also grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds, truly standing above the rest on Sunday, taking the game over with his quickness and agility. It marks the second double-double by a Blue Jay player in playoff history. Both of them belong to the senior sparkplug. Martin was named the GNAC Tournament's Most Valuable Player, while his senior teammates, forward Jordan Powell (Middletown, Conn.) and guard Ryan O'Neill (Litchfield, Conn.), were named to the All-Tournament Team as well.
2022 GNAC MBB All-Tournament Team
Anna Maria – Ralph Grasso Jr.
Lasell – EJ Day
Albertus – Davon Warner
Albertus – Tyreek Perkins
USJ – Jordan Powell
USJ – Ryan O'Neill
USJ – Jaecee Martin (MVP)
The victory improves the nationally-ranked No. 12 Blue Jays to 26-1 on the season, which is tied for the most wins in a single season in program history. It also guaranteed USJ a trip to the 2022 NCAA Tournament, with the selection show slated for 12:30 p.m. live on www.ncaa.com. Fans can head over to www.usjbluejays.com and follow the Blue Jays on social media @USJ_BlueJays to stay updated on the latest on who and where the Blue Jays will play next.
PLAYER QUOTE [Jaecee Martin]
"I knew I had to come out and be aggressive. We knew it was going to be a tough game, but if we came out and stayed disciplined, this game was going to go our way. A big shout out to the whole team, we made this happen. The coaching staff, everyone. It is extremely exciting to make the NCAA Tournament again. Two years ago it was new to the program and we just had to get the feel of it. This year, we have way bigger goals than the GNAC Championship. We hope to make it far in the upcoming tournament."
PLAYER QUOTE [Jordan Powell]
"I am just so thankful. I moved all around the country when I was younger, and I was fortunate to end up in places with great coaches. In high school, I got lucky enough to end up at Windsor with Ken Smith. Here at USJ with Jim Calhoun and Glen Miller, it's truly a blessing. What picked us up a little bit was that loss to Yeshiva. I think we felt a little untouchable, but Yeshiva woke us up and brought us back to the basics of the season, keeping teams shooting poorly and working hard on defense. Now we want to bring that to the NCAA Tournament.
PLAYER QUOTE [Ryan O'Neill]
"The last game we played with them was definitely physical. We knew this would be the most physical of all, so we needed to be ready to play. We executed our game plan perfectly. This is the result. We have been through a lot, but we all really love each other and are ready to get back to the NCAA Tournament."
COACH QUOTE [Glen Miller]
"It's a great feeling. We've had pressure on us for this last part of the season to not lose a game. You just never know what's going to happen with the selection committee, but we just took things into our own hands and secured the automatic bid. Our guys did a great job. When you get to about 16-0…the more you win, the more you feel like you have to win, and our guys have handled it very well."
Saint Joseph scored 13 of the game's first 20 points to begin taking a quick hold on this one. A 9-0 run moments later made it a double-digit game. USJ's perimeter defense was once again on display as time and time again shooters for AMC struggled to connect, be it from mid-range or from downtown. The Blue Jays would not relinquish their double-digit lead, holding the Falcons to 27% shooting in the first half, and following back-to-back threes from O'Neill, USJ took a 49-30 advantage into the locker rooms.
Albertus Magnus' head coach Mitch Oliver made some adjustments to start the second half, relying on a heavy dose of full-court pressure in an effort to make something happen, as the Falcons are at their best when creating chaos on the court. It wasn't enough though, as USJ continued to get the ball in high-percentage scoring situations, while Jaecee simply took over on both ends. The Blue Jays pounded and pounded their way past despite being under duress from the Falcons the entire game. The foul situation was well-managed, and the Blue Jays were the ones left to celebrate another dominant win, and their second straight GNAC Title.
The Blue Jays have now won six straight GNAC Tournament games dating back to 2019-20, and are 8-2 in postseason play (0-1 in NCAA Tournament). USJ is 5-2 all-time versus the Falcons, including 2-1 in the playoffs (all championship games), and have won the last five meetings. USJ has scored 90+ points in each of its last three postseason contests.
UP NEXT
The win improves the nationally-ranked No. 12 Blue Jays to 26-1 on the season, tied for the most wins in a single season in program history. USJ has earned the GNAC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, with the selection show slated for 12:30 p.m. live on www.ncaa.com. Fans can head over to www.usjbluejays.com and follow the Blue Jays on social media @USJ_BlueJays to hear the latest on who and where the Blue Jays will play next.
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