Monks Claw Past AMCATS, 78-66

STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's College (15-8, 14-2 GNAC) defeated Anna Maria College (9-15, 7-10 GNAC), 78-66, in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) men's basketball action at the Harold Alfond Center on Wednesday evening. Senior guard Matthew Medeiros (Westport, Mass.) made six three-pointers and scored a game-high 21 points in the triumph.

The triumph extends the Monks' winning streak to eight games, the program's longest string of victories since the 1998-99 team won an SJC Athletics record 23-consecutive contests.

The Monks' eighth-straight victory did not come easily, as the hosts trailed by as many as 14 points in the first half and faced a 38-34 deficit – despite shooting 48.3% (14-29) from the floor - at intermission. After tying the game twice in the opening minutes of the second stanza, the hosts would claim their first lead since the onset when Medeiros drained a three to make it a 54-52 game with 10:42 remaining.

As it played out, the Monks held the lead for the rest of the evening and owned a 74-61 cushion after Medeiros capped a 10-2 run with his sixth three-pointer of the game with 2:36 left to play.

The AMCATS, who built their first-half lead by shooting 53.8% (14-26) from the field and 50% (5-10) from downtown before the break, cooled in the second stanza and posted averages of 40% (12-30) and 25% (3-12) from the floor and three-point range, respectively, in the closing period.

Conversely, the Monks stepped up their shooting performance in the second half with a 60% (15-25) effort from the field and a 55.6% (5-9) performance from three-point distance over the closing 20 minutes.

Medeiros, who also tallied four rebounds and four assists in the victory, paced a quartet of St. Joe's players who scored at least 10 points. Senior forward Nicholas Jobin (Westbrook, Maine) added 17 points and nine caroms, junior guard Steve Simonds (Steep Falls, Maine) tallied 14 points, four boards and four dimes, and junior forward Zach Blodgett (Glenburn, Maine) chipped in with 10 points, four rebounds and a pair of steals on the evening.

Junior point guard Jordan Tripp (Maspeth, N.Y.) enjoyed one of his most productive games of the season, recording nine points and six assists with three rebounds and just one turnover in the victory.

For Anna Maria, senior guard Joseph Barillo (Dania Beach, Fla.) netted 18 points off a 7-12 shooting performance and senior forward Quantez Franklin (South Yarmouth, Mass.) notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore forward Kyle McKissick (Charlton, Mass.) added nine points, junior guard Hugh Daye (Worcester, Mass.) dealt a game-high nine assists, and Tyler Delorey (Worcester, Mass.), Corey Pryor (Northbridge, Mass.) and Trevon Farley (Lawrence, Mass.) all came off the bench to score seven points apiece in the losing effort.

Overall, Saint Joseph's shot 53.7% (29-54) from the field, 44.4% (8-18) from downtown and 54.5% (12-22) from the FT line while Anna Maria posted averages of 46.4% (26-56), 36.4% (8-22) and 66.7% (6-9) from the floor, beyond the arc and from the charity stripe, respectively.

Saint Joseph's play at Mount Ida College tomorrow night at 6:00 PM while Anna Maria will play at Rivier University on Saturday at 1:00 PM.

Release courtesy of Saint Joseph's College Sports Information Department