PAXTON, MA – Saint Joseph's (6-6, 5-0 GNAC) toppled Anna Maria College (3-9, 1-4 GNAC), 80-57, in GNAC men's basketball action on Saturday afternoon. Senior guard Matthew Medeiros (Westport, Mass.) netted a game-high 22 points in the victory.
The Monks never trailed in the convincing triumph and posted an impressive scoring run late in the first half to all but put the game away. Leading 17-13 with seven minutes before halftime, junior guard Steve Simonds (Steep Falls, Maine) hit a jumper to ignite a daunting 24-3 offensive outburst. Sophomore guard Jerome Diggs (Washington, D.C.) capped the surge with 11 seconds left in the opening frame to provide the visitors with a comfortable 41-16 lead at intermission.
Saint Joseph's led by 20 or more points for the entire second stanza and managed to secure a game-high 39-point (65-26) cushion when Medeiros tapped in a layup with 11:29 remaining.
St. Joe's entered today's contest having lost five-consecutive contests at the hands of Anna Maria, which became a member of the GNAC in 2011. The AMCATS effectively ended postseason runs by the Monks in each of the last two seasons, as Anna Maria posted wins over the Royal Blue in the GNAC Tournament semifinal round in both 2012 and 2013.
For the Monks, Diggs scored a career-high 15 points with three assists and a pair of steals, Simonds contributed 14 points off a 4-6 effort from downtown with four assists and two steals, and senior forward Nicholas Jobin (Westbrook, Maine) chipped in with 11 points and nine rebounds in the triumph. Overall, 10 different players found the scoresheet for Saint Joseph's.
For the AMCATS, sophomore Connor O'Leary (Marlborough, Mass.) scored eight points and sophomore Pedro Trindade (Billerica, Mass.) grabbed a team-high eight rebounds in the loss.
Both teams face off against conference rivals on Wednesday evening when Saint Joseph's hosts Mount Ida College and Anna Maria travels to Albertus Magnus College. Both contests are slated to start at 7:00 PM.
GAME NOTES:
Saint Joseph's is now 7-5 in the history of the series with Anna Maria College…the Monks' last victory over the AMCATS, a 118-76 win, took place on November 23rd, 1985…SJC is off to a 5-0 start in GNAC play for the first time in seven seasons as a member of the conference…freshman Danny Fitzgerald netted his first NCAA point with a free throw in the second half…Zach Blodgett scored the 300th point of his career and Jordan Tripp pulled down his 100th rebound…UP NEXT: Saint Joseph's is 13-1 all-time against Mount Ida College…the Mustangs notched their first-ever victory over the Monks last winter with a 69-52 victory in Newton, Mass. on January 28th.
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.
