CSJ weekly athletics roundup

RUTLAND—College of St. Joseph Athletics got back into action this weekend after a short Thanksgiving break. Both Men’s and Women’s basketball traveled to powerhouse Central Maine Community College to take on the Mustangs on Nov. 27.
The women suffered their first loss of the season, dropping their overall record to 4-1.
The men also fell short against Central Maine, putting the team at 3-4 overall on the season after losing their last two games. Here is a closer look at the two games played over the past week.
Women’s basketball
The Lady Saints were defeated 82-62 by the Central Maine Mustangs on Sunday, Nov. 27. The victory for Central Maine increases their overall record to a perfect 10-0, good enough for first place in the USCAA Women’s Basketball Division II standings.
The Lady Saints were led by reigning USCAA and YSCC Player of the Week Freshmen Jacobie Maupin-Alexander. She scored a game-high 19 points and also pulled down six rebounds. Junior Alexius Brooks also had a solid game for CSJ. She dominated the glass, fighting for a game-high 18 rebounds and making two blocks on the defensive side of the ball.
Brooks added eight points and two steals as well, showing off her ability to affect the game in a number of ways.
Although the Lady Saints lost the game, they still have a few things to hang their hat on. They out-rebounded and scored more points in the paint than the Mustangs. CSJ also missed 16 free throws throughout the game, going an abysmal 15 of 31 from the charity stripe.
If they could have made a few more of those, they would have kept the game much closer and may have been within striking distance towards the end of the game.
Men’s basketball
The Fighting Saints were defeated 70-59 by the Central Maine Mustangs on Sunday. The victory improves the Central Maine Mustangs overall record to 7-3 and a 3-0 conference record.
Sophomore Jonathan Brioso helped keep the game close for CSJ, leading his team in both points and rebounds. He was able to score 15 points and pull down a game-high 13 rebounds. but that was not enough to compete with the well-rounded attack of the Central Maine Mustangs.
Sophomore Darrien White was the only other player on the Saints to score in double-figures, finishing the game with 12 points.
The Saints fought back in the second half after going down 43-29 heading into the break. They outscored the Mustangs 30-27 after halftime, but it was not enough. Central Maine had developed too big of a lead in the first half and CSJ eventually ran out of gas. The Saints had more points in the paint than Central Maine but lost the rebounding battle 50-38.
The main reason is that CSJ shot only 22.7 percent from three-point range and 28.6 percent on free throws, putting many rebounds up for grabs.
The Saints missed 15 free throws and that crushed their chances of making a comeback.