Pride Men’s Hoop Battled Top-Ranked USJ in Close GNAC Contest

WESTON, Mass. - Regis College battled University of Saint Joseph, the top ranked team in this week's D3Hoops.com Top 25 Poll, but the Blue Jays held off the Pride for a 70-59 victory Saturday afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference men's basketball game at Higgins Court.

Russell Rau (Fitchburg, Mass.) played all 40 minutes for the Pride, finishing with a team-high 19 points, while Tate Pike (Bellingham, Mass.) collected 10 points and three steals. Joshua Perez (Lynn, Mass.) contributed nine points, six rebounds, three assists, and two steals, while Jamir Harvey (Robbins, Ill.) added eight points and four rebounds in his first career collegiate start.

Rau hit a three-pointer two minutes into the contest to give Regis a 7-4 lead as the Pride traded baskets with the Blue Jays through the first nine minutes of the game. Regis scored eight unanswered points, four of them by Perez, to open a 22-15 advantage with 8:02 remaining in the first half.

USJ quickly responded with an 11-2 scoring run over the next four minutes, capped by a three-pointer from Lence Altenor, to pull ahead, 26-24. Rau hit a layup to create the third and final tie of the game at 26-26 before a three-pointer from Delshawn Jackson Jr. one minute later put the visitors ahead for good.

Down 33-28 at halftime, the Pride closed to within two points early in the second half on a three-pointer by Rau and a layup from Pike, but USJ would put together an 8-2 scoring run, capped by a three-pointer from Altenor, to maintain its lead. As part of his season-high six points, Ned Fitzpatrick (Providence, R.I.) hit two free throws midway through the second half to bring Regis within four points, but that would be as close as the Pride would get the rest of the way as Jackson Jr. scored USJ's next six points to help the visitors put the game away.

Jackson Jr. led all players with 20 points, while Altenor finished with 14 points and Jalen Samuels contributed 10 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, and five steals. As a team, the Blue Jays shot 39.7 percent (25-for-63) from the field, including 7-for-19 from behind the three-point line, and 81.3 percent (13-for-16) from the free throw line, plus USJ won the rebounding battle, 43-33.

The Pride shot 37.9 percent (22-for-58) from the field and 70.6 percent (12-for-17) from the free throw line as they scored 16 points off 16 USJ turnovers.

Regis College (7-5, 3-2 GNAC) hosts Emmanuel College, the GNAC North Division leader and the only other team besides USJ with a perfect league record, Wednesday, Jan. 11, starting at 5 p.m. USJ (13-0, 6-0 GNAC) renews its in-state rivalry with Albertus Magnus in New Haven, Conn., Wednesday night beginning at 7:30 p.m.