Men's Basketball Gameday: Bears vs. Albany Pharmacy

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The Bears (12-8, 4-0 HVIAC) continue their four-game homestand, taking on Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) foe Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (7-9, 3-2 HVIAC) on Alumni Day at 5 p.m. on Saturday, February 1st at Brooklyn Technical High School.

Game Information

Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (7-9, 3-2 HVIAC) vs.
St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) (12-8, 4-0 HVIAC)

Saturday, February 1st • 5 p.m.
Brooklyn Technical High School • Brooklyn, N.Y.

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Storylines

• With a win tonight the Bears would have a season-high-tying four-game winning streak and winners of six of their last seven games.
• St. Joseph's tries to continue its rule over Albany Pharmacy, owning a 10-3 lead in the all-time series, winning the last three meetings.
• The Bears look to continue their impressive shooting over the last six games, shooting 48.7 percent (186-of-382) from the field during a 5-1 stretch for St. Joseph's.
• The month of February has been kind to the Bears with St. Joseph's finishing the pivotal month with a winning record in each of the last two seasons.
• Albany Pharmacy tries to win their second straight HVIAC game after having a two-game winning streak snapped at home against Vaughn on January 25th.
• With a win against the Panthers, St. Joseph's would secure their third straight winning season at Brooklyn Technical High School.

Series History

The two schools have met on 13 previous occasions with St. Joseph's maintaining a 10-3 edge in the all-time series that dates back to 2002. The Bears have taken the last three meetings with the last Panthers triumph coming February 5, 2011.

Last Meeting

Powered by a career-high-tying 16 points from David Ortiz, St. Joseph's defeated Albany Pharmacy, 73-34, in the semifinals of the HVMAC Championships on February 16, 2013. The Bears opened the game on a 7-0 run helped in part by a Matt O'Neill trey and layup along with a David Louison layup and would not look back.

Ian Duff poured in 12 points, while Louison had six points and a game-high 17 caroms.

The Bear Facts

Last Time Out: Michael Megafu and Louison both recorded double-doubles, as St. Joseph's set a school record in free throws made and attempted, on their way to a 97-82 victory over HVIAC foe Vaughn College on Thursday night at Brooklyn Technical High School. Megafu finished the night with a game-high 23 points and 14 rebounds while Louison finished with 18 points and 12 caroms.

St. Joseph's tries to remain undefeated in HVIAC play and looks to continue their pursuit for a berth in the USCAA National Tournament with a win over their fellow USCAA members, coming into tonight's game ranked No. 11 in the latest coaches' poll released on Friday. The Bears are currently 2-0 on their stretch of four games against HVIAC opponents, as St. Joseph's looks to win their first regular season title since the 2009-10 season.

The bulk of the Bears offensive firepower comes from the frontcourt, led by Louison who leads the team in scoring with 17.8 points per game and secures 9.1 boards per game. The junior has once again been a double-double presence for St. Joseph's with 10 on the season and has 34 for his career. Over the last 10 games the forward has upped his production, averaging 21.8 points and 9.5 rebounds per game on blistering 58.6 percent (92-of-157) shooting, leading the Bears to a 7-3 mark over the stretch.

Also causing problems in the paint for opponents is Megafu who leads the team with 13 double-doubles on the year, averaging 16.2 points per game and a team-high 10.8 boards per game. The forward is shooting an impressive 55.8 percent from the floor on the season and is playing his best basketball over the last 11 games, averaging 19.2 points per game and 12.1 rebounds per game on 59.4 percent (79-of-133) shooting, recording nine double-doubles over the stretch.

Matt O'Neill has snapped out of his mid-season sophomore slump, averaging 16.4 points per game over the last five games along with 3.8 steals per game. The guard now averages a career-high 11.2 points per game and leads the team with 2.8 steals per game. Adding production in the backcourt is junior Vernon Maddox who averages 9.4 points per game and a team-high 4.4 assists per game.

A Prescription for Success

Last Time Out: The Panthers picked up their third league win with a 67-61 victory over the Culinary Institute on Sunday.

Last year's USCAA Division II National Tournament participant already has more losses then they did a year ago. Albany Pharmacy tries to qualify for the season-ending HVIAC Tournament for the sixth straight year, currently sitting a half a game back for the fourth and final spot. The Panthers struggle on the offensive end of the floor, averaging only 66.5 points per game (No. 37 out of 42 USCAA Div. II schools) on 37.3 percent shooting.

Casey Redfern, a two-time HVIAC All-Conference Team selection and one-time Player of the Week this season, is the leading scorer in the HVIAC with 20.0 points per game on 41.0 percent shooting and brings down 7.5 caroms per game. The senior also leads the league with 38 made three pointers, connecting on 31.7 percent of his attempts.

Also scoring in double figures are John Tremblay and Ryan McVaigh who average 12.1 and 11.3 points per game, respectively. McVaigh shares team high honors with Redfern, averaging 7.5 boards per game, while Tremblay leads the Panthers with 2.8 assists per game.

Did You Know?

St. Joseph's holds a 3-2 record this season in games played on Saturdays.

Team Comparison

Bears	Nickname	Panthers
12-8 (4-0)	Record	7-9 (3-2)
HVIAC	Conference	HVIAC
Roster | Schedule | Statistics	Team Info	Roster | Schedule | Statistics
David Louison (17.8)	Top Pts.	Casey Redfern (20.0)
Michael Megafu (10.8)	Top Reb.	C. Redfern & R. McVaigh (7.5)
Vernon Maddox (4.4)	Top Ast.	John Tremblay (2.8)
73.4 (+7.4)	Scoring	66.5 (-7.0)
42.5%	FG %	37.3%
61.5%	FT %	64.7%
25.8%	3FG %	28.9%
40.4 (-2.4)	Rebounds	42.1 (-1.5)
14.4	Assists	12.9
14.4 (+4.8)	Turnovers	18.5 (-1.5)
9.4	Steals	8.9
4.0	Blocks	2.5