Men's Basketball Gameday: Bears at Vassar

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – St. Joseph's (7-6) looks to bounce back from a tough home loss as they travel upstate to face a streaking Vassar College (7-1) on Tuesday, January 7th at 8 p.m.

Live Coverage

Live stats & Live Video (courtesy of Vassar Athletics)

Series History

The all-time series is tied at 3-3 with the two teams having split the last two meetings after the series was restarted in 2011 following a 15-year hiatus. Both teams hold 2-1 records on their home court with the lone Bears win in Poughkeepsie in February 1994 in the series opener, when head coach Joseph Cocozello was a member of the squad.

Last Meeting

St. Joseph's took last year's meeting at Brooklyn Technical High School, 63-56, in their 2012-13 home opener on November 20th powered by a double-double from David Louison, who finished with game highs of 17 points and 14 rebounds.

A three-pointer by Vassar off the opening tip gave the Brewers their only lead, but St. Joseph's countered with a Louison layup and a jumper and trifecta from Jan Rogowski to score seven unanswered and never trailed again.

The Bear Facts

Last Time Out: St. Joseph's dropped a heartbreaking 85-78 decision to Drew University on Saturday at Brooklyn Technical High School in a game that saw the Rangers overcome a 12-point deficit with 4:52 remaining. The Bears were led by Louison who had a season-high 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting while Michael Megafu recorded his eighth double-double of the season with 12 points and 12 rebounds.

St. Joseph's looks to bounce back from a heartbreaking loss that snapped a four-game winning streak. Despite the loss to Drew, the Bears have won five of their last seven games and are looking to make a late season run that garners them a spot in the USCAA National Tournament.

Louison has been the catalyst of St. Joseph's recent hot streak, averaging 18.3 points per game, including a 29- and 30-point game, over the Bears last seven games to increase his scoring average to a season-high 16.7 points per game. The junior has also shot the ball well from the field during the seven-game stretch, connecting at a 51.9 percent (54-of-104) clip.

Louison's frontcourt partner in crime is Megafu who has been a double-double machine for St. Joseph's this season, leading the team with eight. The forward is averaging a career-high 15.0 points per game and leads the team snagging 9.9 boards per game. Megafu has brought down double-digit rebounds in each of the Bears last six games.

Junior Vernon Maddox has been a pleasant surprise for St. Joseph's this season, stepping into a starter's role after serving as the sixth man a year ago. The guard helps orchestrate the offense dishing out a team-high 4.8 assists per game and has an impressive 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Scouting the Brew Crew

Vassar Game Notes

Last Time Out: Vassar claimed the Trinity College Holiday Invitational title after defeating Wentworth Institute of Technology, 60-54, on December 30th and Trinity College, 63-62, on December 31st. The Brewers were led by Johnny Mrlik who led Vassar in scoring in both contests.

The Brewers come into tonight's matchup having won seven games in a row for their best start to a season since 2007-08 when they started 11-1. The Bears will be their final tune-up before beginning Liberty League play where they were tabbed to finish eighth in the preseason coaches' poll.

Vassar thrives on the defensive end of the floor surrendering the fewest points per game in the Liberty League at 63.0.

Leading the Brewers is Johnny Mrlik who ranks No. 9 in the Liberty League with 17.6 points per game and is No. 7 in the league shooting 36.5 percent from beyond the arc. Vassar also possesses the second leading rebounder in Alex Snyder who secures 8.9 boards per game.

Also averaging double figure scoring for the Brewers is Erikson Wasyl and Luka Ladan who contribute 12.9 and 11.5 points per game, respectively. Wasyl is a three-point threat connecting on 48.8 percent (20-of-41) of his attempts from downtown.

Common Opponents

Trinity College def. St. Joseph's, 63-62 (Nov. 15); Vassar def. Trinity College, 63-62 (Dec. 31)

Did You Know?

The Bears hold a 19-5 all-time record against schools located in Dutchess County, NY having played Bard, Culinary and Vassar.

Team Comparison

Bears	Nickname	Brewers
7-6 (2-0)	Record	7-1 (0-0)
HVIAC	Conference	Liberty
Roster | Schedule | Statistics	Team Info	Roster | Schedule | Statistics
David Louison (16.7)	Top Pts.	Johnny Mrlik (17.6)
Michael Megafu (9.9)	Top Reb.	Alex Snyder (8.9)
Vernon Maddox (4.8)	Top Ast.	Alex Snyder (3.0)
69.8 (+5.7)	Scoring	70.5 (+7.5)
40.5%	FG %	45.0%
60.5%	FT %	66.9%
26.2%	3FG %	37.3%
39.5 (-3.8)	Rebounds	41.0 (+9.1)
13.8	Assists	12.6
13.6 (+5.5)	Turnovers	13.9 (-3.5)
9.2	Steals	4.5
4.2	Blocks	3.9