GWYNEDD VALLEY, PA. — The St. Joseph's University, New York (Brooklyn) men's basketball team fell 61-81 on Monday night in their season opener at Gwynedd Mercy University.
The Bears opened with an early spark when Adam Jasaraj (Staten Island, N.Y.) buried a three off a feed from Colin Mills (White Plains, N.Y.) to briefly go ahead 3–2, but the Griffins quickly answered and used pressure defense to swing momentum. Turnovers proved costly, as Gwynedd Mercy forced 18 in the opening period and converted them into 16 fast-break points, widening the margin as the half progressed. Mills scored six early points, and five other players saw buckets, but the Bears entered halftime trailing 42–18.
St. Joseph's responded with a strong second-half effort, putting up 43 points and shooting 50 percent after the break. Nazareth Warren (Brooklyn, N.Y.) led the surge with all 11 of his points coming in the period, and freshman forward Jorden Bennett (Westhampton, N.Y.) delivered nine second-half points while battling on the glass. Senior guard Joseph Abraham (Staten Island, N.Y.) energized the group with seven points and two steals in just five minutes, and rookie Maxwell Wignall (Rocky Point, N.Y.) added four points with two steals off the bench. St. Joseph's attacked the paint more effectively and moved the ball well, but Gwynedd Mercy maintained its cushion behind balanced scoring and timely three-point shooting.
Bennett paced the Bears with 12 points and nine rebounds, followed by Warren's 11 points and four boards. Mills finished with eight, while Abraham and Nazon added seven apiece. The Bears' bench contributed 43 of the team's 61 points.
St. Joseph's continues non-conference play later this week with a return to Pennsylvania. They face Messiah University in their tipoff tournament on Friday, November 14 at 5:30 pm.
