CSJ weekly athletics roundup

RUTLAND—College of St. Joseph Basketball was back in action this past week after a full month off from competition due to winter break. Men’s and Women’s basketball each played against the SUNY Canton Kangaroos on Sunday, Jan. 8. The Lady Saints were able to edge out a victory against the Kangaroos with a final score of 58-45. The win improves the Lady Saints record to 7-3 overall on the season. It was a great way for them to start the spring semester after losing their last two games played before break. The men’s team was unable to secure a victory against SUNY Canton, losing by a landslide 101-67. The loss drops the Saints to 6-8 overall on the season. They have now lost their last three games and are desperately seeking to get back to their winning ways. Here is a closer look at how the two games played out over the weekend.
On Jan. 8, the Lady Saints started off the afternoon with a solid 58-45 victory over SUNY Canton. They dominated the interior, coming up with 55 rebounds compared to just 36 for SUNY Canton. CSJ was led by freshman forward Markell Marquez. She stepped up big for the Lady Saints, coming up with a game high 14 points and also tallying 12 rebounds. Marquez also created a number of second chances for CSJ, pulling down an impressive nine offensive boards. She was also efficient, shooting 50 percent from the field. Junior forward Alexius Brooks was the X-factor in the game. She came off the bench to score 11 points, while coming up with a game-high 13 rebounds. The Lady Saints were ultra-aggressive on defense, forcing 25 turnovers throughout the game.
The Fighting Saints were unable to follow suit after the women’s game, falling to the Kangaroos 101-67. Graduate student Antonio Gordon was the only player to score in double figures for CSJ. He ended the game with 28 points, but it took him 31 shot attempts to get there. Senior center Kareem Brown pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds. The Saints were outmatched in relatively every statistical category. They lost the battle on the boards by a wide margin and they only tallied 11 assists as a team. One bright spot is that they forced the Kangaroos to make 26 turnovers, while only committing 10 total turnovers themselves. Unfortunately, the Saints were unable to gain much advantage in points off turnovers, scoring 18 in that category compared to 14 for SUNY Canton.