STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's (14-7, 9-5 GNAC) outlasted Emmanuel College (4-17, 4-10 GNAC), 61-54, in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball contest at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon. Junior forward Nicholas Jobin (Westbrook, Maine) was 6-9 from the floor and 7-7 from the free throw line to account for a team-high 19 points in the Monks' triumph.
Saint Joseph's shot a season-high 59.5% (25-42) from the field on the afternoon, including a scorching 66.7% (12-18) rate in the closing stanza. The Monks' success rate from the floor in today's win is the highest mark since the Royal Blue posted a 60% (33-55) effort in a 95-84 loss to Bates College on January 20th, 2010.
The hosts jumped out to a 10-point lead, as a Matt Sullivan (West Babylon, N.Y.) jumper lifted the hosts to a 14-4 cushion with 10:16 remaining in the first half. The Monks headed into the break riding a 12-2 run and carried a cushy 30-15 advantage at the half.
Junior guard Matthew Medeiros (Westport, Mass.) led all first-half scorers with 10 points while senior Connor Morgan (Gloucester, R.I.) paced the visitors with five points in the opening frame.
As it played out, the Monks' first-half dominance proved to be vital as the Saints, with the help of a 6-16 three-point shooting performance, would outscore the Royal Blue by a 39-31 margin in the second stanza.
Saint Joseph's led by double digits for the better part of the closing frame and held a game-high 18-point cushion after senior Julio Vazquez (Waterbury, Conn.) converted a traditional three-point play with 10:12 remaining in the contest.
Two minutes later, Emmanuel began a 13-2 outburst that saw the visitors cut their deficit to 52-45 after senior Xavier Everson (Rochester, N.Y.) drilled a pair of freebies at the 3:59 mark. The Monks would extend their lead to 11 (58-47) when Medeiros connected on a layup 1:51 later and, despite a barrage of Emmanuel three-point shots in the final minute, would hold on for the 61-54 victory.
For the Monks, Medeiros netted 14 points, Vazquez added seven points, four rebounds and three assists and sophomore Steve Simonds (Steep Falls, Maine) chipped in with seven points and five boards versus the Saints.
For Emmanuel, Everson poured in a game-high 23 points with 10 caroms and three steals, Morgan added 15 off a 4-9 three-point shooting performance, and senior Michael Mailhot (Norwich, Conn.) contributed 11 points in a losing effort.
With the victory, Saint Joseph's improves to 11-2 in the history of the series with Emmanuel College.
Interestingly, the Monks' outstanding field goal percentage in today's contest coincided with an uncharacteristically low number of three-point attempts (6), especially for a program known to be one of the better deep-shooting teams in the conference. Saint Joseph's has not attempted six or fewer shots from beyond the arc since the Monks went 1-4 from downtown in a 147-103 loss at the hands of Grinnell College in the Colby College Invitational Tournament on January 2nd, 2004.
Saint Joseph's plays at Lasell College on Tuesday in a GNAC contest slated to begin at 7:30 PM while Emmanuel is set to host conference-rival Emerson College on Tuesday at 7:00 PM.
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.
