Men's Basketball Gameday: Bears vs. Brooklyn

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – St. Joseph's (7-7) looks to snap a two-game losing streak, facing borough rivals Brooklyn College on Monday, January 13th at Brooklyn Technical High School with tipoff set for 9 p.m.

Game Information

Brooklyn College (3-9, 1-5 CUNYAC) vs.
St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) (7-7, 2-0 HVIAC)

Monday, January 13th • 9 p.m.
Brooklyn Technical High School • Brooklyn, N.Y.

Live Stats | Live Video - Sitesh Shah (play-by-play)
Twitter | Instagram (@SJCBears, #SJCMBB)

Storylines

• The Bears look to halt a two-game losing streak and a seven-game game skid to the Bulldogs dating back to 2006.
• St. Joseph's has a 3-1 mark at Brooklyn Technical H.S. but looks to rebound from their first home loss, a disappointing 85-78 loss to Drew on January 4th where they led by 12 with under five minutes to play.
• Brooklyn also looks to reverse a three-game skid entering tonight's game as losing seven of their last eight games and dropping a 90-78 conference loss to John Jay on Friday night, despite connecting on 16 three-pointers. The Bulldogs also seek their first road win this season, currently with an 0-5 mark.
• Sophomore Michael Megafu has been a double-double machine and has an active streak of six straight double-doubles, ranking No. 2 in Division III with nine total. Megafu has also climbed up the active career leaders to No. 15 overall with 23 career double-doubles, the highest ranked sophomore by a margin of seven.
• Junior David Louison, who became the first Bear to be named to the D3Hoops.com Team of the Week last week, approaches the 1,000 point scoring mark needing just 30 points to reach the coveted threshold. Louison averages a team-leading 16.6 points and netted a season-high 30 points in his last game at home vs. Drew.
• In the latest USCAA Coaches' Poll released Friday, the Bears jumped up three spots to No. 14. The Bears look to continue to rise up the rankings in search of back-to-back appearances in the USCAA National Championships.

Series History

Dating back to 2002, the two borough rivals have 13 prior meetings under their belts with Brooklyn College holding a 10-3 lead in the series. The Bulldogs have won the last seven meetings with the last Bears win coming on January 9, 2006 when all three current assistant coaches were still playing on the team.

Last Meeting

Despite a pair of 20-point efforts highlighted by a 20-point, 20-rebound game from David Louison, St. Joseph's suffered an 85-76 setback on January 23, 2013.

The first half saw runs by both teams with the Bears going on a 10-0 run and the Bulldogs scoring 12 unanswered but St. Joseph's would head into the lockers up, 38-36.

Brooklyn College opened up the second stanza on another 6-0 run to take back the lead but the Bears fought back tying the game at 45-45. However, an 11-0 run in just under two minutes by the Bulldogs wouls prove to be the difference.

Matt O'Neill had 20 points, sharing team-high honors with Louison, connecting on 6-of-13. Michael Megafu recorded a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The Bear Facts

Last Time Out: St. Joseph's trailed by as many as 20 points against Vassar College before cutting the deficit to two with 4:54 remaining but the deficit proved too much to overcome as the Bears succumbed to the Brewers 69-60 on Tuesday night. St. Joseph's had four score in double figures led by Michael Megafu and David Louison who had 19 and 10, respectively, as they both recorded double-doubles.

St. Joseph's looks to pick up their first win of the New Year after dropping two tough games against Drew University and Vassar College to begin 2014. The Bears look to defend their home court with two matchups against CUNYAC foes on the docket before heading on a four-game road trip.

Louison has been a constant force for the Bears throughout the season averaging a career- and team-high 16.6 points per game while ranking second on the team with 8.6 rebounds per game. The junior has been a double-double machine throughout his career and has continued that this season with six (No. 30 in Division III).

Teaming up with Louison in the frontcourt is Megafu who has continued to impress as a sophomore pouring in 15.3 points per game while snagging 9.9 boards per game (No. 40 in Division III). The forward has recorded six straight double-doubles to bring his season total to nine (No. 2 in Division III).

Junior Vernon Maddox has continued to play well this season reaching double figures in points six times for a 9.8 points per game average, good for third on the team. The guard also directs the Bears offense with 64 assists on the year (No. 26 in Division III), leading the team in helpers 12 times.

Inside the Dog House

Last Time Out: Despite connecting on 16 three-pointers, Brooklyn College fell to John Jay College, 90-78, in a CUNYAC matchup on Friday night. The Bulldogs were led by Steven Diaz who had a team-best 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc.

Brooklyn comes into tonight's game having lost seven of their last eight games, including their first three to begin the New Year. The Bulldogs have struggled on the road thus far, losing all five games away from the West Quad Center.

Jai Kellman, the No. 6 scorer in the CUNYAC, leads the Bulldogs on a nightly basis averaging 19.0 points per game on 41.3 percent shooting, scoring in double figures in all 12 games this season. The junior is a threat from downtown connecting on 34.5 percent (20-of-58) of his attempts.

Also providing contributions is Egzon Gjonbalaj who is a multi-faceted player for Brooklyn, ranking second on the team in scoring with 14.8 points per game. The sophomore also places second on the team with 2.8 assists per game and 1.2 blocks per game.

Rounding out the trio who score in double figures is Jamel Gist who drops in 14.1 points per game. Leading the Bulldogs in rebounding is one-time CUNYAC Player of the Week, Valon Djombalic, who averages 8.6 boards per game while adding 8.9 points per game to a Brooklyn offense that averages 78.0 points per game.

Did You Know?

Both Megafu and Louison rank highly among the NCAA Division III active career leaders, Megafu ranking No. 4 in career rebounding average (10.7 rpg) followed closely by Louison at No. 5 (10.5 rpg). Louison also ranks No. 7 in total rebounds (723), the highest ranked junior, and No. 7 in double-doubles (29), the second highest ranked junior. Megafu's 23 double-doubles place him 15th and the highest ranked sophomore by a margin of seven.

Team Comparison

Bears	Nickname	Bulldogs
7-7 (2-0)	Record	3-9 (1-5)
HVIAC	Conference	CUNYAC
Roster | Schedule | Statistics	Team Info	Roster | Schedule | Statistics
David Louison (16.6)	Top Pts.	Jai Kellman (19.0)
Michael Megafu (9.9)	Top Reb.	Valon Djombalic (8.6)
Vernon Maddox (4.6)	Top Ast.	Jai Kellman (3.1)
69.1 (+4.6)	Scoring	78.0 (-6.5)
39.8%	FG %	39.0%
60.6%	FT %	65.0%
25.7%	3FG %	32.1%
39.4 (-4.1)	Rebounds	41.1 (-4.7)
13.4	Assists	16.6
13.1 (+5.9)	Turnovers	16.8 (+1.8)
9.0	Steals	11.1
3.9	Blocks	5.3