WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Regis College attempted to stick with one of the top teams in the country, but top seed University of Saint Joseph eventually pulled away to defeat the eighth-seeded Pride, 97-75, Tuesday night in a quarterfinal matchup of the 2020 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Men's Basketball Tournament at a sold-out O'Connell Center.
With the victory, USJ improves to 24-2, extends its winning streak to 23 games, and advances to host Thursday's semifinal against fourth seed Anna Maria, an 82-66 victor over Saint Joseph's College. Regis College sees its 2019-2020 season conclude with an 8-18 overall record.
Four players scored in double figures for the Pride, led by Marc Trinidad (Bronx, N.Y.) with 18 points on 8-of-12 shooting from the field and 15 rebounds for his 11th double-double of the season. Devante Thompson (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) finished with 16 points, three rebounds, and four assists, while Dimitri Rosa (Tiverton, R.I.) scored 11 points and Cam Wilkins (Taunton, Mass.) added 10 points.
Jaecee Martin scored the first five points of the game to help the Blue Jays open a 9-2 advantage, but Regis rattled off six straight points, four of them from Thompson, to close to within one at 11-10. After a three-pointer by Rosa tied the game at 15-15, USJ nailed three straight long distance shots from Jaecee Martin, Taelon Martin, and Delshawn Jackson Jr. to open a 25-17 lead midway through the first half.
The Pride closed to within four at 33-29 with 4:44 left in the first half on a layup by Trinidad, but the Blue Jays put together a 15-5 scoring stretch to close out the half and take a 48-34 lead into halftime. In the second half, a three-pointer by Zak Latifi (Holliston, Mass.) and a jumper from Jalil Wilkerson (New Haven, Conn.) brought the Pride within 11 at 65-54, but USJ put the game away with a 14-3 scoring run, capped by a dunk from Taelon Martin.
All five starters reached double figures in scoring for the Blue Jays, led by Jackson Jr. with 17 points and Jordan Powell with 15 points, six rebounds, five assists, and four blocked shots. Ryan O'Neill scored 14 points, Jaecee Martin nearly notched a triple-double with 13 points, eight rebounds, and nine assists, and Jake Sullivan contributed 10 points. Taelon Martin came off the bench and added 12 points, three rebounds, four assists, and three steals to the winning effort.
As a team, USJ shot 52.9 percent (36-of-68) from the field, including 8-of-19 from behind the three-point line, and 60.7 percent (17-of-28) from the free throw line. The Blue Jays won the rebounding battle, 45-39, and dished out 25 assists while committing only seven turnovers.
The Pride shot 38.8 percent (26-of-67) from the field, including 8-of-27 from behind the three-point line, and 57.7 percent (15-of-26) from the free throw line. Regis committed only 10 turnovers in the contest and scored 15 second chance points off 14 offensive rebounds.
The loss means the end of the collegiate careers of seniors Josh Germain (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), Gibou Njie (Miramar, Fla.), and Rosa.