STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's (1-1) suffered a 67-63 loss at the hands of Husson University (3-0) in a non-conference men's basketball contest at the Harold Alfond Center on Thursday night. Junior forward Zach Blodgett (Glenburn, Maine) came off the bench to score a team-high 16 points in the loss.

Saint Joseph's kicked off the 2013 home-opener with 12 unanswered points and carried a 35-25 cushion into intermission, but Husson proved to be resilient and fought back into the game early in the second stanza. The Eagles grabbed their first lead of the evening when Donte Cottonham (Silver Spring, Md.) drained a three-pointer with 9:59 remaining in the contest. The Monks responded with six straight points to gain a 54-47 lead 1:15 later, but the visitors countered with a 13-6 run of their own and took the lead for good when Aaron Willis (New York, N.Y.) made a layup at the 4:52 mark.

With the clock winding down, Saint Joseph's maintained a two-possession in the closing minutes despite going 0-4 from the floor with four turnovers and only a pair of free throws to show for their effort. With 10 seconds left, Blodgett hit a three-pointer to cut the Monks' deficit down to 67-63, but the Eagles ran off the clock to secure the unlikely triumph.

For the Monks, Nicholas Jobin (Westbrook, Maine) tallied 15 points and six caroms, Matthew Medeiros (Westport, Mass.) added 13 points and seven boards and Krubiel Workie (Denver, Colo.) recorded six points and five rebounds. Steve Simonds (Steep Falls, Maine) chipped in with five points, seven boards and three assists in the loss.

For the Eagles, Cottonham and Phil Leighton (Naples, Maine) led the way with 11 points apiece, Jacob Moore (Hampden, Maine) added seven points and nine rebounds and Raheem Anderson (Everglades, Fla.) contributed seven points and nine caroms.

Saint Joseph's plays at Bowdoin College at 4:00 PM on Saturday.

GAME NOTES:

With the result, Saint Joseph's falls to 35-46 in the history of the series with Husson…Jerome Diggs and Krubiel Workie both surpassed the 100-career-point mark in the loss…looking ahead, St. Joe's is 8-12 all-time versus Bowdoin College and has defeated the Polar Bears in consecutive meetings, including an 82-62 triumph at the Alfond Center last November.

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.