Halpin Nets 1,000 Career Point In Suffolk Victory Over Saint Joseph's (ME)

Boston, MA -- The Suffolk University Men's Basketball team opened their 2012-13 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) schedule with a 77-68 over the St. Joseph's College Monks on Saturday afternoon.

Senior Colin Halpin (Melrose, Mass.) became the 27th player in Suffolk's 65-year program history to reach the 1,000 career point plateau as he scored 25 points in the victory for Suffolk. Halpin reached the historical mark with 9:29 remaining in the second half as he was fed down low by senior Chris Torres (Brockton, Mass.) for a wide open lay-in. Halpin entered the contest needing 18 points for the marker.

Freshman Caleb Unni (Winchester, Mass.) led all scorers with 29 points as he was 14-for-15 from the free throw line which included a 4-for-5 performance from three-point land for Suffolk in the first half. Unni's 16-point first half performance led the Rams to take a 45-22 lead heading into the break.

Junior Nicholas Jobin (Westbrook, Me.) had a team-high 20 points in the contest for the Monks, including 16 in the second half.

The Monks went on a 13-2 six minute run late in the second half that was capped by a three-pointer by sophomore Zach Blodgett (Glenburn, Me.) to make it a three possesion game with 1:59 remaining at 66-57. 

Halpin would answer with a layup to put the Rams back up by double digits before junior Matthew Medeiros (Westport, Mass.) cut the lead to eight, 68-60 with a three-pointer of his own.

Unni would go 6-for-6 in the final three minutes of the contest from the free-throw line, while Halpin connected on five consecutive free-throws in the final forty seconds to seal the Suffolk victory.

Suffolk shot 88-percent as a team from the free-throw line in the game (22-for-25) and held a 42-28 edge in rebounds. Halpin led all rebounders with nine on Saturday.

Medeiros finished the game with 15 points for the Monks on 3-of-6 shooting from the field. The visitors shot 47.9-percent as a team (22-for-46) in the contest. Sophomore Steve Simonds (Steep Falls, Me.) chipped in with 11 points, while Blodgett and senior Julio Vasquez (Waterbury, Conn.) each had eight. Only six players scored for the Monks in the contest.

Senior Jhonneris Mendez (Boston, Mass.) chipped in with seven points and seven boards for the Rams, while sophomore Matt Powers (Westwood, Mass.) added eight points. Freshman Adam Chick (Northbrook, Ill.) also gave the Rams a strong presence on the glass as he collected seven rebounds in the game.

On the season Halpin has now scored 91 points in five games. He currently stands at 1,007 career points with a 14.4 points per game average in 70 games.

The win moves Suffolk to a 2-3 mark on the year, while the Monks fall to 3-2.

St. Joseph's College will be back in action on Thursday evening as they host Rivier College in GNAC action at 7:00pm. Suffolk will host New England College on Monday evening at 7:30pm at the Regan Gymnasium.

*Release courtesy of Suffolk University Sports Information Dept.