STANDISH, ME – Saint Joseph's (9-8, 8-2 GNAC) bested Norwich University (4-13, 2-8 GNAC), 69-46, in a GNAC men's basketball contest at the Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon. Senior guard Matthew Medeiros (Westport, Mass.) scored a game-high 23 points and drilled seven three-pointers in the lopsided triumph.

The conference counterparts swapped leads on six occasions in a closely contested first half, but the Monks claimed the advantage for good with the help of an 11-3 run over the final four minutes leading up to the break. Up by eight (32-24) entering the second stanza, Saint Joseph's owned a 45-29 cushion after junior guard Steve Simonds (Steep Falls, Maine) hit a jumper with 12:28 left and the hosts held a game-high 23-point lead when sophomore guard Craig Luschenat (Boston, Mass.) scored a layup with 1:24 remaining.

The Monks recorded one of their best shooting performances of the season in the victory, particularly from three-point distance as the Royal Blue made 14 of 26 attempts from downtown for a 53.8% success rate. St. Joe's was especially lethal from beyond the arc in the second stanza as the hosts posted a 77.8% (7-9) effort on three-point shots over the closing 20 minutes.

For the Monks, Simonds notched the second double-double of his career with 10 points and 10 rebounds and also dealt a game-high five assists, senior forward Nicholas Jobin (Westbrook, Maine) added 11 points and eight caroms, junior forward Zach Blodgett (Glenburn, Maine) contributed 10 points and was 3-4 from three-point range, and senior forward James Philbrook (Auburn, Maine) chipped in with five points and four boards.

For the Cadets, sophomore forward Alex Preckol (Westford, Mass.) netted 17 off a 5-7 performance from downtown, senior guard Tom McDonald (Groton, Mass.) scored 16 points, and senior guard Nickolai Havoutis (Coral Springs, Fla.) tallied eight points and four assists in a losing bid.

Overall, Saint Joseph's shot 49.0% (24-49) from the floor, 53.8% (14-26) from three-point distance, and 77.8% (7-9) from the free throw line in the win. Norwich shot 37.8% (17-45) from the field, 38.5% (10-26) from downtown and 33.3% (2-6) from the charity stripe on the afternoon.

The Monks held considerable advantages in rebounds (39-16) and assists (18-10) in the victory.

Both teams host conference contests on Wednesday when Saint Joseph's faces Emmanuel College and Norwich takes on Lasell College. Both games are slated to start at 7:00 PM.

GAME NOTES:

Saint Joseph's is now 12-3 in the history of the series with Norwich University…the Monks have defeated the Cadets in seven-consecutive meetings, including a pair of contests this winter…Medeiros tied a career-high with seven three-pointers made in today's win…the team's 3FGM tally (14) versus the Cadets is just two shy of the program's record, a mark that was set in 77-74 win over Norwich on January 11th, 2011…Simonds surpassed the 200-rebound mark for his career in today's win.

UP NEXT:

St. Joe's owns an 11-2 record all-time versus Emmanuel College…the Saints are 4-12 overall and 2-8 in GNAC play so far this winter, but put up a season-high 94 points in a conference win over Suffolk University earlier today.

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.