Boston, Mass. - The Saint Joseph's College Monks (15-5, 9-3 GNAC) topped the Suffolk University Rams (5-15, 1-12 GNAC) by a score of 75-66 in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Thursday evening. Senior Ray Eatmon (Huntington, N.Y.) had 25 points and 13 rebounds as the Monks overcame a six-point halftime deficit, outscoring the Rams by 15 in the second half to picked up their 10th win in conference play this season.
The Rams came out strong early in the first half, due in large part to freshman Mickey McEntee (South Kingstown, R.I.) who made his first career collegiate start. McEntee was 4-for-6 from the field, including 3-for-4 from beyond the arc as he scored 11 points in the first half to put the Rams up 38-32 going into the break. Suffolk went into the break on a high note outscoring the Monks 15-5 in the final minutes of the first half.
However the Monks would answer quickly changing the game around outscoring Suffolk 20-2 in the first four minutes of the second half as they took back the momentum.
The Rams would continue to battle, evening the game at 58-58 with nine minutes remaining when freshman Matt Pepdjonovic (Quincy, Mass.) tipped in a rebound to even the score.
St. Joseph's would just be too tough for the Rams as they shot 59 percent from the field in the second half, as Eatmon and junior Zach O'Brien (Schenectady, N.Y.) would pace the offense combining for 29 points in the second half. O'Brien finished the game with 17 points, nine assists and seven rebounds.
Pepdjonovic had another solid game for the Rams as he posted a double-double, leading all rebounders with 18 and also scoring 14 points and chipping in with five assists. McEntee had a team-high 17 points in the game, while sophomore Sam Hutchins (Andover, Mass.) scored 10 points with five assists.
Sophomore Chris Petzy (East Kingston, N.H.) posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards for the Monks. Senior Alberto Rue (Jamaica Plain, Mass.) also chipped in with 15 points.
The Monks will be back in action as they host Norwich University a3:00pm in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action. The Rams will be back on the road Saturday at Emmanuel College at 1:00pm.