Men's Basketball Cruises to Home Win Over NYU-Poly

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Four Bears scored in double figures as the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team remained perfect at home with a 79-54 non-conference win over NYU-Poly on Tuesday evening at Brooklyn Technical High School.

Sophomore Matt O'Neill (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) scored a game-high 18 points to pace St. Joseph's (4-5) who have traded wins and losses over their last four games.

Junior David Louison (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) and sophomore Michael Megafu (Brooklyn, N.Y./Nazareth Regional) each collected their fourth double-doubles of the season. Louison achieving it in the first half and finishing with 17 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks and Megafu ending with 12 points, a game-high 13 rebounds and four blocks. Junior Vernon Maddox (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) added 13 points and four rebounds and three assists.

NYU-Poly (2-6) placed three in double figures led by Fabian Thomas's 13 points and Jethro Auguste added a 10-point, 11-rebound double-double.

The visitors gained a 12-8 lead on an Auguste three-pointer early in the opening frame, but the Bears used a 14-4 run to take the lead for good. The Bears added another 10-point spurt to build a double-digit advantage and carried a 40-28 lead into the lockers, which they held steadily throughout the second stanza.

TURNING POINT

The Bears' 10-0 run over a span of 2:16 just before intermission broke open what was a two-point game at the 6:59 mark of the first. Louison helped power the run with six of his 13 first-half points.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Thirteen different Bears saw action with St. Joseph's leading bench scoring, 10-2.
• The Bears defense forced 29 NYU-Poly turnovers that they converted into 30 points, while the Blue Jays managed just two points off 10 Bear miscues. 
• St. Joseph's held a slight edge in shooting, 38.2%-37.7% and NYU-Poly held a slight edge on the glass 48-46.

THE BEAR FACTS

• The Bears conclude the all-time series with a 6-4 edge on the Blue Jays, this being the final season of NYU-Poly athletics with a full merger into NYU. St. Joseph's has won three of the last four meetings.
• St. Joseph's 15 thefts were a season-high.
• The Bears also swatted away seven shots (Megafu 4, Louison 2, Labady), above their average of 5.1 rejections per game that ranked them 23rd in Division III heading into this week.

NEXT UP FOR THE BEARS

The Bears take a short break for finals week and return to action at home hosting sister campus St. Joseph's (Long Island) on Saturday, December 21. The Bears will headline the tripleheader "East vs. West" rivalry matchup with the Golden Eagles with a 7:30 p.m. tilt at Brooklyn Technical High School.