With the win, Southern Maine improves to 4-2 overall and claims the Costello Cup presented annually to the winner of the contest between the two schools. Contested over the past 25 seasons, the Costello Cup honors the late Dr. Richard "Doc" Costello, former USM Athletic Director and long-time basketball coach. St. Joseph's, now 1-4 on the season, had won the previous five meetings and leads the overall series 15-10. It is the first time the Huskies have won the cup since the 2007-2008 season.
Sullivan was 6-for-11 from the field and 7-for-11 from the free throw line for his team-high 19 points. He added five rebounds, four steals, two blocked shots and an assist. Senior forward Tyler Penney (Barnstead, N.H./Bishop Brady) added 17 points on 8-for-11 shooting with five rebounds, while senior forward James Odneal (Pontiac, Mich.) chipped with 11 points and three assists.
Senior Nich Jobin (Westbrook, Maine) led the Monks with a game-high 23 points. Jobin was 10-for-17 from the field adding four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Junior guard Steve Simonds (Steep Falls, Maine/Bonny Eagle) tossed in nine points, while senior forward Krubiel Workie (Denver, Colo./Thomas Jefferson) and sophomore forward Zach Blodgett (Glenburn, Maine/Bangor) each scored seven points.
After a pair of threes from Simonds and Blodgett, the Monks held a 13-11 lead with 14:54 left in the opening half. Both teams battled back and forth over the 10 minutes, but after a traditional three-point play from Sullivan, giving the Huskies a 26-23 lead, USM never trailed again and held a 34-29 lead at the break.
Shooting a remarkable 71.4 percent (10-for-14) from the field in the second half, Southern Maine led by as many as 18 points late in the game. Penney's layup had the Huskies ahead 58-40 with 6:47 to play, but the Monks battled back with a 17-4 run. A layup from Workie with 41 seconds to play made it a two-possession game, 62-57, in favor of the Huskies, but it was too little too late as the Huskies held on for the win.
Southern Maine hosts Bowdoin College on Tuesday (7:30 p.m.) in its next contest. St. Joseph's College hosts Johnson & Wales University on Tuesday (7:00 p.m.).
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