PAXTON, MA – Top-seeded Anna Maria College (20-7) topped #5 Saint Joseph's College (17-10), 75-63, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament semifinal game on Thursday night. Sophomore guard Steve Simonds (Steep Falls, Maine) paced the Royal Blue with 19 points in the season-ending loss.

With the victory, Anna Maria advances to the GNAC Championship game for the second-consecutive season and will host reigning conference champion Albertus Magnus College in the title game on Saturday at 2:00 PM.

Junior guard Matthew Medeiros (Westport, Mass.) added 16 points and a game-high nine rebounds, sophomore guard Jordan Tripp (Maspeth, N.Y.) tallied nine points, three boards and three assists and Nicholas Jobin (Westbrook, Maine) contributed eight points, seven boards and a pair of steals for the Monks.

For the AMCATS, senior Anthony Click (Springfield, Mass.) dropped a game-high 25 points, including six three-pointers, and Javier Bristol (Haverhill, Mass.) also played well, scoring 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting from the floor while leading the AMCATS with six rebounds, three assists and four steals. Junior Joseph Barillo (Dania Beach, Fla.) netted 10 points while sophomore Hugh Daye (Worcester, Mass.) contributed seven points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals off the bench.

The two teams matched up evenly through the opening ten minutes of the game, with the AMCATS clinging to a two-point lead at 17-15. Post grad Brad Peterson (North Kingstown, R.I.) converted a three-point play in the paint and the AMCATS had their biggest lead of the first half at 20-15. The Monks responded with a jumper by Medeiros and a trey from Simonds to even the score at 20 with just under seven minutes remaining in the half.

The Monks' lead swelled to 29-24 after another Medeiros three-pointer, but Peterson made a pair of freebies to cut the hosts' deficit to 31-28 heading into intermission.

Simonds led all first half scorers with 12 points and the Monks held a healthy 22-11 advantage on the boards. Anna Maria shot a dismal 34.4% from the field compared to the Monks' 50.0% effort from the floor in the first stanza.

The Monks opened the second half with a 9-6 run to push their lead to 40-34 at the 16-minute mark, but Click drained four three-pointers during a 23-6 Anna Maria run that closed with 7:36 remaining when Daye converted a layup to extend the AMCATS' lead to 57-46.  

Simonds hit a jump shot on the following SJC possession to cut the Monks' deficit to nine points (57-48) with 7:09 left, but Anna Maria answered with a Bristol layup 31 seconds later and would enjoy a double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest.

Anna Maria held a 21-6 advantage in points scored off turnovers and committed just nine turnovers – as opposed to 19 miscues by the Monks – on the evening. 

THANKS IN PART TO ANNA MARIA COLLEGE SPORTS INFORMATION

Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 350-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.