Men's Basketball Notches First Win of Season Defeating Centenary at CMSV Tip-Off

RIVERDALE, N.Y. – Powered by a pair of double-doubles from David Louison (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) and Michael Megafu (Brooklyn, N.Y./Nazareth), the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team leveled their record with a 64-49 victory over Centenary College (N.J.) in the third-place game of the College of Mount Saint Vincent Tip-Off Tournament on Saturday afternoon.

The Bears (1-1) led from nearly start to finish and built a 10-point advantage 12 minutes into the contest. Louison had game highs of 19 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks and Megafu supported him with 11 points and 10 rebounds, both notching their first double-doubles of the season. Vernon Maddox (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) added eight points with five rebounds and four assists.

Centenary (0-2) was led by Kyle Malavasi with nine points as the Cyclones struggled to connect against the Bears defense, shooting just 29.6 percent.

Turning Point

With St. Joseph's holding on to an 11-9 lead just past the midway point of the opening half, the Bears ignited for a 13-0 run over the next five minutes and the Cyclones would never pull the deficit back to single digits. Richard DiPuma (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) contributed five points to the run with a trey and a jumper and Megafu also drained a trifecta during the spurt.

Early in the second stanza, the Centenary threatened to reach a single-digit deficit, but back-to-back baskets – including an and-one – from Louison and a layup from Megafu erased any hope for the Cyclones

Inside the Box Score

• Key contributors: Ian Duff (7 points), Matt O'Neill (6 points, 3 assists, 3 steals)
• St. Joseph's connected on 36.5 percent (23-63) from the field and 31.3 percent (5-16) from behind-the-arc.
• The Bears dominated inside with a 50-39 advantage on the glass and 28-12 edge in paint scoring.
• St. Joseph's built their largest lead of the game at 21 points with three minutes left in regulation.

The Bear Facts

• The win is the first for the Bears in three meetings all-time. The Cyclones captured a 74-66 victory in the last meeting in December 2011.
• Among the Division III leaders in double-doubles last season, Louison's double-double was the 25th of his career and the 16th for Megafu.

Next up for the Bears

St. Joseph's returns to the hardwood in the lone star state at the University of Dallas Classic. The Bears meet the hosts on Friday, November 22 followed by Austin College on Saturday.