WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – The University of Saint Joseph (USJ) men's basketball team made eight of its first nine shots and never trailed as it eased past the visiting Emmanuel College Saints, 109-68, during a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) game Tuesday night inside James A. Calhoun Gymnasium in West Hartford, Conn. The 109 points marked a season-high for the Blue Jays as they eclipsed the 100-point mark for the first time this year and the 11th time in program history. With the victory, USJ extends its winning streak to five games, improves to 13-4 overall on the 2023-24 campaign, and remains perfect in GNAC play at 6-0. Emmanuel drops to 6-10 overall and 2-3 in the conference with the setback.

Sophomore guard Lence Altenor (Everett, Mass.) led five scorers in double figures for the Blue Jays on the evening with a game-high 20 points. Altenor logged his fifth 20-point outing of the season by connecting on 7-of-10 attempts from the floor, including 5-of-7 from three, and was 1-of-1 from the free-throw line. He was joined in double figures by senior guard Tyree Mitchell (East Hartford, Conn.) with 19 points, sophomore forward Friedrich Feldrappe (Berlin, Germany) with 15, senior forward Jalen Samuels (Franklin, Mass.) with 11, and senior guard Jaren Simmons (Newington, Conn.), who chipped in with 10 off the bench.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Blue Jays made eight of their first nine field-goal attempts to race out to a 19-8 lead. All five starters scored over the opening 6:46 of the game and Feldrappe led the charge with eight early points.
• Following an Emmanuel three on the visitors' ensuing possession, USJ ripped off a 12-0 run – its largest run of the game – to push the lead out to 20 (31-11) with 8:16 left to play in the first half.
• Both teams traded points until the Saints cut their deficit to 18 (42-24) after a three-pointer by freshman guard Noah Beaudet (Norwod, Mass.) with just over four minutes to play before the break.
• However, the hot-handed Blue Jays closed the opening 20 minutes by outscoring the Saints, 18-7, to take a 29-point lead into the locker rooms, 60-31. USJ shot a sizzling 74.2% (23-31) from the field, 72.7% (8-11) from three, and 85.7% (6-7) from the line in the first half.
• Emmanuel started the second stanza strong and used a 9-2 run over the opening two minutes to close the gap to 22 (62-40). However, that would be as close as the Saints would get for the remainder of the game as the Blue Jays answered with a 9-2 spurt of their own to rebuild their 29-point lead, 71-42, with 16 minutes to play.
• USJ maintained a 30-point advantage for the majority of the second half and built its lead to as large as 43 on its way to a 109-68 final margin of victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Blue Jays shot season-best percentages from the field (60.9%), three-point range (57.9%), and free-throw line (90.9%) in the win.
• USJ held Emmanuel to 35.0% shooting from the field, 39.1% from three, and 77.3% from the charity stripe.
• Saint Joseph won the battle on the glass, outrebounding Emmanuel, 37-27. Three players grabbed five-plus boards for the Blue Jays led by Mitchell with a game-high six.
• The Blue Jays logged 17 assists and committed a season-low six turnovers. Mitchell and sophomore guard Jonathan Box (Frisco, Texas) each dished out five helpers.
• USJ outscored Emmanuel in points in the paint, 50-18.
• 14 players saw floor time for the Blue Jays and 12 players scored.
• Saint Joseph has won the last four-straight meetings against Emmanuel and now leads in the all-time series history, 4-1. The Blue Jays are now 2-1 versus the Saints in games played in West Hartford.
• USJ is tied with Albertus Magnus atop the GNAC standings as both programs are the only remaining undefeated teams in conference play.

UP NEXT

Men's basketball returns to the hardwood on Saturday, January 20 for a GNAC showdown at home versus Regis College. Tipoff between the Blue Jays and Pride is set for 3:00 p.m. inside James A. Calhoun Gymnasium in West Hartford, Conn. Tickets to attend Saturday's game can be purchased in advance by visiting www.usjbluejays.com/tickets.

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