STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's College (15-8, 10-6 GNAC) defeated Norwich University (6-17, 3-13 GNAC), 66-49, in GNAC men's basketball action at the Harold Alfond Center on Tuesday evening. Junior guard Matthew Medeiros (Westport, Mass.) went 10-11 from the free throw line and scored 17 in the conference conquest.

The GNAC counterparts swapped leads four times and saw the score tied on two occasions in the first 10 minutes of play, but the Monks would take the lead for good – as it played out - when sophomore forward Zach Blodgett (Glenburn, Maine) nailed a three-pointer to lift his team to an 11-10 edge at the 10:09 mark.

Blodgett's trifecta came in the early stages of a game-altering run for the Monks, as the hosts turned a 10-6 deficit into a 27-15 advantage with a 21-5 offensive surge, a burst that freshman Nolan Allen (Windham, Maine) capped with a three with 6:46 remaining in the opening period.

Norwich junior guard Tom McDonald (Groton, Mass.) made a three-pointer to make it a 10-point (30-20) game 90 seconds later, but Saint Joseph's proceeded to outscore the visitors by a 11-2 margin for the remainder of the half and held a cushy 41-22 lead going into intermission.

Medeiros scored a game-high 11 points in the first half while McDonald and Josh Cabrera (Providence, R.I.) netted eight apiece in the opening 20 minutes for the Cadets.

Saint Joseph's maintained at minimum a 15-point lead for the remainder of the contest and held a game-high 22-point (64-42) advantage after freshman guard Asad Dahia (Portland, Maine/North Yarmouth Academy) made a free throw with 1:45 left.

For the Monks, junior forward Nicholas Jobin (Westbrook, Maine) recorded 11 points and nine rebounds, Blodgett added 10 points and four rebounds, Allen netted eight in seven minutes of playing time, and freshman guard Jerome Diggs (Centreville, Va.) contributed six points, six assists, five caroms and three steals in his first NCAA start.

Dahia, who converted a layup in addition to his free throw, and fellow rookie Davis Tucker (High Point, N.C.) recorded their first collegiate points in the victory. Also, the Monks proved to be quite opportunistic in the triumph, as the Royal Blue netted 21 points off just 12 Norwich turnovers on the evening.

For the Cadets, McDonald poured in a game-high 26 points and Cabrera added eight points.

With the win, Saint Joseph's improves to 10-3 in the history of the series with Norwich University and have now defeated the Cadets in five-consecutive meetings.

Both teams resume conference play on Thursday when Saint Joseph's plays at Albertus Magnus College in a 7:30 PM start and Norwich hosts Johnson & Wales 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.