Golden Eagles Soar Over Bears In Second Game of East vs. West Battle

(PATCHOGUE, NY)  After trailing by only 1 at halftime, the Bears were outscored 48-26 in the second half falling 88-65.to their cross-campus rival St. Joseph's College – LI in the second game of the "East vs. West Battle" in front a packed crowd at the Danzi Athletic Center.

The Bears came out playing inspired by the win of their female counterparts and jumped out to an early 10 point lead, behind senior point guard Ervin Maddox (Staten Island, NY / St. Peter's) who scored 10 of the Bears first 16 points connecting on his first four shots, two behind the arc.  After an early Patchogue timeout to stop the Bears momentum, the Eagles started to find their offense and both teams traded baskets.  The Eagles did a better job of containing Maddox, but Justin Gist (Brooklyn, NY / Newsome) picked up the slack scoring the next ten Bears points.  But the Eagles slowly crept back into the game relying on their three point shooting.  The Bears led for most of the half, until a 3 pointer from J.J. Walsh with 7:18 drew the game even at 26-26.  Coach Joseph Cocozello brought in Larry Fawcett (Queens, NY / Christ the King) who provided some instant offense, hitting a long 2 from just inside the arc and then later finished the uncommon 4-point play to give the Bears a four point lead with 1:33 remaining.  Patchogue's David Acree responded with his own deep shot and a jumper from the paint at the buzzer to take a 1-point 40-39 lead at half, the sixth and final lead change in the game.

The game was a tale of two halves with the Bears staying even shooting 60% behind the arc and outrebounding the Eagles 26-18 in the first half.  However, Patchogue dominated the second half displaying their athleticism and quickness gaining a 32-13 advantage on the glass, including 13 offensive rebounds that led to 16 second chance points.  The Bears struggled on the offensive end shooting only 26.7% and found only 30 shots.  The Eagles slowly extended their lead and a dunk from J.J. Abrams started a 20-2 run that put the game out of reach for the Bears, facing a 25-point deficit with four minutes left.

Gist led the Bears with 13 points, 10 in the first half, adding four rebounds and one steal.  Maddox finished with 12 points, 10 in the first six minutes of the game, dished out five assists, four boards and one steal.  Sophomore Jon Matzelle (Queens, NY / St. Francis Prep) netted 10 points, grabbed five boards and blocked one.  Fawcett finished with 9 points on perfect 3 for 3 shooting.

St. Joseph's-LI shot an impressive 50% from the field (32-64) and behind the arc (12 for 24).  J.J. Walsh led the Eagles with 24 points and eight rebounds.  Chris Niblock had a 19 rebound, 13 point double-double.   David Acree amassed 17 points and dished out nine assists.

The loss drops the Bears to 2-3 and the Eagles remain undefeated at 5-0.  St. Joseph's returns to action on Monday night on the road to face Lehman College.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM.