Saint Joseph's (14-8, 13-2 GNAC) topped Suffolk University (9-13, 6-9 GNAC), 70-63, in a GNAC men's basketball game at the Harold Alfond Center on Saturday afternoon. Senior Nicholas Jobin (Westbrook, Maine) tallied 20 points and nine rebounds to help the Monks post their seventh-consecutive victory.

In a contest that saw 10 lead changes and three tie scores, Saint Joseph's - which trailed by as many as six points in the first half and led 31-30 going into intermission - seemed to put the game away when Matthew Medeiros (Westport, Mass.) and Zach Blodgett (Glenburn, Maine) netted five points apiece in a 10-0 run that saw the hosts secure a game-high 11-point advantage (47-36) with 13:39 remaining.

The Monks would lead 58-49 seven minutes later, but the Rams surged back into contention with an 11-0 offensive burst, making it a two-point (60-58) game after Sam Nwadike (Houston, Texas) made a layup at the 2:41 mark. Monks' junior guard Steve Simonds (Steep Falls, Maine) nailed a three-pointer on the hosts' following trip down the floor, but Nwadike answered 35 seconds later with a three of his own to make it a 63-61 contest with 1:10 left.

After Jobin scored on a power move in the paint to put the Monks up by four, the Monks managed to clinch the victory with a 5-6 shooting effort from the free throw line in the closing 30 seconds. Forced to foul, the Rams tagged Jerome Diggs (Washington, D.C.), who made his first attempt but missed his second and, on a pair of occasions, tapped Simonds, who made all four of his freebie attempts to account for the 70-63 final.
For the Monks, Simonds added 18 points and five caroms, Medeiros netted 12 with three assists and Blodgett came off the bench to tally seven points and five boards. James Philbrook (Auburn, Maine) contributed six points and four rebounds and Jordan Tripp (Maspeth, N.Y.) chipped in three assists and three rebounds on the afternoon.
For the Rams, Nwadike poured in a game-high 21 points while Caleb Unni (Winchester, Mass.) tallied nine points and five rebounds and Chris Williams (Bridgeport, Conn.) added eight points and seven boards in a losing bid.

Both teams return to action facing conference opponents on Tuesday evening, when Saint Joseph's hosts Anna Maria College at 7:30 PM and Suffolk makes the short trip to Emmanuel College for a 7:30 PM tip-off.

(Story courtesy of St. Joseph's College Sports Information)