STANDISH, ME – Junior Matthew Medeiros (Westport, Mass.) scored 15 of his game-high 22 points in the second half to help Saint Joseph's (13-7, 8-5 GNAC) move past University of Maine-Farmington (15-4, 10-2 NAC), 63-55, in a non-conference men's basketball contest at the Harold Alfond Center on Wednesday night.

Farmington led by as many as 12 points in the first half and held a 33-23 advantage going into intermission, but Saint Joseph's rattled off a 16-2 run starting midway through the second stanza to claim the lead for good. The Monks netted 16 points off 12 UMF turnovers after the break and outscored the Beavers by a 40-22 margin with a 57.7% (15-26) shooting effort over the closing 20 minutes to secure the victory. For Farmington, the loss snaps an eight-game winning streak.

The Monks' offense stalled early in the first half, as the Royal Blue went without a bucket for over eight minutes with only three free throws during the span. In the meantime, Farmington scored eight unanswered points as part of a 13-3 outburst, which came to a close when junior forward Andrew Dickey (Cape Elizabeth, Maine) made a three-pointer to lift his team to an 18-8 lead with 11:04 left in the opening frame.

The Beavers went on to secure a game-high 12-point (22-10) cushion just over two minutes later when junior guard Sam Leal (York, Maine) made a layup. The Monks responded with an 11-2 surge and trailed 24-21 after sophomore Steve Simonds (Steep Falls, Maine) closed the run with a trifecta at the 5:22 mark.

The battle of offensive outbreaks continued, as Farmington – the top team in Maine according to the latest Maine Men's Basketball Coaches and Writers Association Weekly Poll - answered by posting 9-2 run over the remainder of the first half and carried a 33-23 lead into the break.

UMF junior forward Ben Johnson (Manchester, Maine) led all first-half scorers with eight points and also pulled down seven caroms in the first half. Medeiros paced the Monks with seven points in the opening period.

Trailing 42-34 after UMF junior guard Yusuf Iman (Auburn, Maine) converted a layup 5:09 into the second stanza, Saint Joseph's made a statement with five straight points over the subsequent 3:27 as a Medeiros three and a James Philbrook (Auburn, Maine) layup cut the Beavers' lead down to 42-39 with 11:24 remaining.

Iman extended the visitors' edge to 45-39 with a three-pointer 16 seconds later, but the six-point advantage quickly dissipated as sophomore forward Zach Blodgett (Glenburn, Maine) took control by scoring eight points during a 9-0 SJC run to provide the hosts with a 48-45 lead with 6:15 to play.

The Monks continued to click on both ends of the court and recorded a 7-2 burst over the following 2:28 to claim an eight-point (55-47) lead with 3:47 on the game clock. The Beavers threatened, as Johnson converted a traditional three-point play 15 seconds later and hit a jump shot with 2:41 remaining, but a Medeiros three-pointer and a 3-4 effort from the free-throw line in the final minute of the contest held the visitors at bay.

For the Monks, Simonds tallied 15 points and four rebounds, Blodgett added 11 points, junior forward Nicholas Jobin (Westbrook, Maine) recorded seven points, five boards and three assists and senior point guard Julio Vazquez (Waterbury, Conn.) contributed eight assists and four steals in the victory.

One of the most important facets of the Monks' triumph was the play of the SJC backcourt on the defensive end, as Jobin, Philbrook and Blodgett joined forces to hold Johnson – who entered tonight's contest averaging 21.2 PPG – to just 13 points. Unselfish play also yielded results for Saint Joseph's, as three of the Beavers' second-half turnovers were the result of offensive fouls.

For the Beavers, Johnson posted his 12th double-double of the season with 13 points and 10 rebounds and Iman tallied 13 points, four assists and four boards on the evening. Dickey added 10 points, junior forward Nate Carson (Orrington, Maine) contributed eight points, seven caroms and four dimes, and junior forward Garrett Clemmer (Windham, Maine) chipped in seven points and four rebounds in a losing effort.

Overall, Saint Joseph's shot 46 (23-50) from the field, 42.1% (8-19) from three-point land and 75% (9-12) from the FT line while Maine-Farmington shot 41.2% (21-51) from the floor, 28.6% (8-28) from downtown and 83.3% (5-6) from the stripe in the non-conference contest.

With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 52-18 in the history of the series with University of Maine-Farmington and has now defeated the Beavers in four-consecutive meetings dating back to the 2009-10 campaign. All four victories in the last four seasons have come by 10 points or fewer.

Saint Joseph's hosts Emmanuel College in a 3:00 PM tip-off on Saturday while Maine-Farmington plays at Colby-Sawyer at 5:30 PM on Friday.

Saint Joseph's College, founded in 1912 by the Sisters of Mercy, celebrates its Centennial year in 2012 with a theme of "Realize the Promise" – honoring our commitment to educating well-rounded graduates who combine career focus with classic liberal arts studies. A Private, Catholic, primarily residential, coeducational liberal arts institution, Saint Joseph's welcomes students of all ages and all faiths. The campus, located 18 miles northwest of Portland and just two hours from Boston, encompasses 350 acres along the shore of beautiful Sebago Lake in Standish, Maine. Enrollment ranges between 1,000 and 1,100 students annually. Saint Joseph's offers challenging academic programs in the liberal arts and sciences, education, nursing and business fields in a value-centered environment.