Three-pointer Propels St. Joseph's Tyler Kelley into 1,000-Point Club

STANDISH, ME – Senior guard Tyler Kelley (Saco, ME/Thornton Academy) became the 33rd player in Saint Joseph's College Men's Basketball history to net 1,000 career points in a win over Emmanuel College on Monday night.

Kelley, who entered the game against Emmanuel needing six points to reach the landmark, surpassed the 1,000-point plateau with a three-pointer at the 18:22 mark of the second half. Julio Vazquez '13 (Waterbury, CT) registered an assist on the play.

One of the most prolific long-distance shooters in team history, Kelley currently owns the Monks' career three-point percentage record with a 43.1% (165-383) mark and ranks third in the SJC annals in both three-pointers made and attempted.

Kelley, a 2010 All-GNAC Second Team selection, also owns the SJC single-season record for three-point accuracy by a wide margin, as he shot 49.1% (54-110) from beyond the arc during his sophomore campaign to claim the top spot. Overall, Kelley's name can be found three times in the single-season three-point percentage top 10 list.

With two three-pointers made against the Saints, Kelley became just the second player in program history to net at least 50 trifectas in three different seasons. Stephen Chase '93, the Monks' all-time leader in three-pointers made (311) and attempted (835), drained at least 50 treys in each of his four seasons at Saint Joseph's.

What makes Kelley's achievement even more impressive is the fact that he attained the milestone in essentially three seasons. Due to injuries and heavy competition to get on the floor, Kelley averaged just 2.3 PPG in 9.3 minutes per contest during his rookie campaign. Of the 33 players in the SJC Men's Basketball 1,000 Point Club, only one – Paul Halvorsen '88 – posted a lower points-per-game average in their first year (2.1 PPG).

Through 19 games for the 14-5 Monks this season, Kelley is averaging 14.0 PPG and is currently shooting 42.4% (50-118) from three-point range. In 95 career contests, the senior guard has accumulated 1,004 points, 231 rebounds, 88 assists and 89 steals.