LEWISTON, ME – Saint Joseph's College (1-0) kicked off the 2013-14 season with an 82-77 triumph over Bates College (2-1) in a non-conference men's basketball contest on Tuesday evening. Senior guard Matthew Medeiros (Westport, Mass.) netted 21 points off a 6-10 three-point shooting performance in the victory.

The game featured two very different halves, as the teams traded impressive scoring outbursts in the first period before settling in for a thrilling second stanza that featured five tie scores and a pair of lead changes. Neither program could muster more than a two-possession cushion in the latter half and the contest would not be decided until the closing seconds when junior Steve Simonds (Steep Falls, Maine) drained all four of his free throw attempts to ice the victory for the Monks.

Bates, which entered tonight's contest undefeated on the young season with a pair of one-sided victories over Maine-Augusta and Maine-Farmington over the weekend, looked to continue the trend of knocking off in-state opponents early, as the Bobcats raced out to a 9-0 lead. Junior guard Billy Selmon (Atlanta, Ga.) capped the opening surge with a three-pointer at the 18:24 mark.

Unaffected by the sluggish start, Saint Joseph's got on the board 27 seconds later when senior Nicholas Jobin (Westbrook, Maine) converted a traditional three-point play, a bucket and freebie that ignited a 20-2 run for the Royal Blue, who held a 20-11 advantage after Medeiros knocked down a trifecta with 12:45 before the break. The Monks utilized a lethal three-point attack in the scoring surge, as 15 points came from shots taken beyond the arc – three from Medeiros and two by Simonds.

Following the aforementioned Medeiros trey, Bates Head Coach Jon Furbush called a timeout and the relayed strategies seemed to pay dividends, as the Bobcats rallied with an 8-3 burst to cut their deficit down to 23-19 with 9:26 left in the first half. Two minutes later, Jobin and Selmon traded jumpers to make it a 26-22 game with 7:33 on the clock, but St. Joe's used the longball to claim a double-digit edge for the first occasion of the night. Medeiros connected on a downtown bid at the 6:42 mark and senior forward Krubiel Workie (Denver, Colo.) joined in with a trey 37 seconds later to extend the SJC lead to 32-22.

Sophomore Jerome Diggs (Washington, D.C.) made a pair of free throws at the 4:57 mark to help the Monks maintain the 10-point (34-24) cushion, but the Bobcats' offense came to life yet again, scoring nine unanswered points to cut the Saint Joseph's lead to 34-33 with 2:34 before intermission. Junior Graham Safford (Hampden, Maine) and sophomore Mike Boornazian (Portland, Conn.) combined to score all nine points during the run.

Saint Joseph's proceeded to close out the opening frame with six straight points, as Jobin connected on a pair of buckets and junior Zach Blodgett (Glenburn, Maine) drained two freebies to provide the visitors with a 40-33 lead heading into the locker room.

The Monks shot the lights out in the first half, making 56.5% (13-23) of their attempts from the floor while shooting 50% (7-14) from three-point distance and 77.8% (7-9) from the line. The Bobcats countered by shooting 44.8% (13-29) from the field, 33.3% (3-9) from downtown and 40% (4-10) from the charity stripe before the break.

Safford led all first-half scorers with 14 points while Medeiros netted 13 and Jobin added 12 in the opening 20 minutes.

The second stanza did not start off well for Saint Joseph's, as a pair of turnovers led to four quick points for the Bobcats, who shaved their deficit down to 40-37 just 1:22 into the latter half in the process. Medeiros continued to show the hot hand with another trifecta to make it a 43-37 game with 18:30 remaining, but Bates responded with six straight points to knot the contest at 43-all over the following two minutes.

A couple of big plays in the Monks' favor followed, as Medeiros drained a three-pointer at the 16:19 mark and Jobin rattled the rim with a dunk 37 seconds later to lift the Royal Blue to a 48-43 lead and provide what looked to be a bit of game-changing momentum. Unfazed, the Bobcats answered with an 11-2 outburst to claim their first lead since the opening minutes, as Boornazion made a three to lift his team to a 54-50 advantage with 13:17 remaining.

Bates held the lead for nearly two minutes, but Blodgett came off the bench to score all six of the Monks' subsequent points over a two-minute span and Diggs helped stave off the pesky Bobcats with six points of his own, as the Royal Blue held a 62-59 edge after the sophomore tipped in a Jobin miss at 8:32 mark.

Simonds netted a three-pointer on the Monks' following trip down the floor to provide the visitors with a 65-59 cushion, but the hosts rose to the occasion yet again, this time scoring six straight to knot the game at 65-apiece with 6:49 on the clock.

The in-state rivals essentially traded blows for the following five minutes, as the contest stood at a 73-73 stalemate after Safford drilled a three with 2:02 to play. Jobin came through with a clutch three-point play and Medeiros netted a layup to propel the Monks to a 78-75 edge with 32 seconds left and Simonds went on to put the game away, draining all four freebies in the closing 13 seconds to account for the 82-77 final.

For the Monks, Jobin tallied 21 points and nine caroms, Simonds produced 19 points, five boards and three assists and Blodgett added eight points and six rebounds.  Junior guard Jordan Tripp (Maspeth, N.Y.) contributed five assists and three boards and Diggs provided a spark off the bench with eight points, three rebounds and four steals in 16 minutes on the court.

For the Bobcats, Saffort netted a game-high 30 points with six boards, eight assists and three steals, Boornazian tallied a double-double with 17 points and 12 rebounds and Selmon chipped in 11 points and three steals in a losing effort.

Overall, Saint Joseph's shot 47.4% (27-57) from the field, 41.7% (10-24) from three-point distance and 78.3% (18-23) from the free throw line. Bates shot 48.4% (30-62) from the floor, 31.8% (7-22) from downtown and 52.6% (10-19) from the charity stripe.

The Monks held a 36-34 rebounds advantage while the Bobcats posted leads in assists (15-13), steals (9-6) and turnovers (16-18) on the evening.

Saint Joseph's returns to the court on Thursday when the team hosts Husson University in a 7:30 PM tip-off. Bates hosts Thomas College on Thursday at 7:00 PM.

GAME NOTES:

With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 7-11 in the history of the matchup with Bates College…the Bobcats had defeated the Monks in eight of nine meetings prior to falling to St. Joe's by a 66-54 margin last winter…St. Joe's has now topped 80 points in four of the last six season-openers, including an 82-62 win over Bowdoin College last year…Saint Joseph's is now 26-17 (.605) all-time in season-openers and has won six-consecutive opening contests dating back to the 2008 campaign…the 159 combined points in tonight's game is the most for St. Joe's in a season's first contest since the Royal Blue edged Southern Maine, 88-86, for a combined 174 points in the 2002-03 opener…several SJC players reached milestone point totals in tonight's win, as Medeiros cracked the 900-point plateau, Blodgett hit 200 on the nose and Diggs reached the century mark…Saint Joseph's is now 396-156 (.717) all-time versus Maine opponents and 22-35 (.386) against New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) foes…the Monks' meeting with Husson on Thursday will be the 81st in the history of the series between the former conference rivals…the Eagles hold a 45-35 edge in the matchup and defeated the Monks by an 86-76 score last winter.

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 430-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.