STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's (14-8, 13-2 GNAC) topped Suffolk University (9-13, 6-9 GNAC), 70-63, in a GNAC men's basketball game at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon. Senior Nicholas Jobin (Westbrook, Maine) tallied 20 points and nine rebounds to help the Monks post their seventh-consecutive victory.
In a contest that saw 10 lead changes and three tie scores, Saint Joseph's - which trailed by as many as six points in the first half and led 31-30 going into intermission - seemed to put the game away when Matthew Medeiros (Westport, Mass.) and Zach Blodgett (Glenburn, Maine) netted five points apiece in a 10-0 run that saw the hosts secure a game-high 11-point advantage (47-36) with 13:39 remaining.
The Monks would lead 58-49 seven minutes later, but the Rams surged back into contention with an 11-0 offensive burst, making it a two-point (60-58) game after Sam Nwadike (Houston, Texas) made a layup at the 2:41 mark. Monks' junior guard Steve Simonds (Steep Falls, Maine) nailed a three-pointer on the hosts' following trip down the floor, but Nwadike answered 35 seconds later with a three of his own to make it a 63-61 contest with 1:10 left.
After Jobin scored on a power move in the paint to put the Monks up by four, the Monks managed to clinch the victory with a 5-6 shooting effort from the free throw line in the closing 30 seconds. Forced to foul, the Rams tagged Jerome Diggs (Washington, D.C.), who made his first attempt but missed his second and, on a pair of occasions, tapped Simonds, who made all four of his freebie attempts to account for the 70-63 final.
For the Monks, Simonds added 18 points and five caroms, Medeiros netted 12 with three assists and Blodgett came off the bench to tally seven points and five boards. James Philbrook (Auburn, Maine) contributed six points and four rebounds and Jordan Tripp (Maspeth, N.Y.) chipped in three assists and three rebounds on the afternoon.
For the Rams, Nwadike poured in a game-high 21 points while Caleb Unni (Winchester, Mass.) tallied nine points and five rebounds and Chris Williams (Bridgeport, Conn.) added eight points and seven boards in a losing bid.
Prior to tip-off, the men's basketball program honored the 2014 graduating class – Medeiros, Jobin, Philbrook, Krubiel Workie (Denver, Colo.) and, in memoriam, Clark Noonan – a group that has helped the Monks post a 69-35 (.664) record overall and a 52-17 (.754) mark in GNAC play over the last four seasons.
Both teams return to action facing conference opponents on Tuesday evening, when Saint Joseph's hosts Anna Maria College at 7:30 PM and Suffolk makes the short trip to Emmanuel College for a 7:30 PM tip-off.
GAME NOTES:
Saint Joseph's is now 11-2 in the history of the series with Suffolk University…the Monks toppled the Rams by a 92-70 score in Boston earlier this season…St. Joe's has now won seven-consecutive games, the program's longest winning streak since the Royal Blue posted seven-straight triumphs during the 2006-07 campaign…playing in the 100th game of his career, Jobin became the 17th player in team history to pull down 500 career rebounds in today's win.
UP NEXT:
Saint Joseph's is 7-5 all-time versus Anna Maria College (9-14, 7-9 GNAC) and defeated the AMCATS by an 80-57 score in Paxton, Massachusetts earlier this season (1/11/14).
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.