Men's and Women's Basketball Represented Well Among NCAA Statistical Leaders; Lady Bears Ranked No. 2 in Two Categories
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – At the conclusion of the NCAA Championships this past weekend, both the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's and women's basketball teams were well represented in the top 50 in many different statistical categories.
After an appearance in the USCAA National Championships, the Lady Bears (16-12), closed the season in second place among 431 Division III squads in field goal percentage defense. Their defense limited opponents to 30.5 percent shooting over 28 games, trailing top-ranked Castleton by only 0.2 percentage points for the chance at being crowned the first team statistical champion from the Brooklyn campus.
One of the main reasons for their defensive success this season was the way the team protected the rim. The Lady Bears ranked No. 2 in blocks, swatting away 6.9 shots per game including a season-high 12-block game January 20th against CCNY. On the offensive end, the Lady Bears rank No. 35 in assists, dishing out 16.1 per game.
The Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) men's champion Bears (18-9) also closed out the season among the nation's leaders in field goal percentage defense, holding opponents to 40.1 percent shooting, good for No. 30 in the nation. The team have taken care of the ball all year and finished ranked No. 10 in Division III with a 5.0 turnover margin. The Bears were also No. 33 in total steals with 247, No. 44 in total rebounds with 1,108 and No. 48 in total blocks with 115.
Individually, the men's team were led in the final rankings by sophomore Michael Megafu (Brooklyn, N.Y./Nazareth Regional) who closed out the year No. 8 in Division III with 17 double-doubles on the year. The forward also ranked No. 24 in total rebounds with 283 on the year and carried a 10.5 rebound per game average, which placed him No. 32 in the country.
Megafu is joined by his partner in the frontcourt, junior David Louison (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) who grabbed several rankings in the NCAA Division III top 50, including field goals made where he is ranked No. 12 with 210 baskets made and is No. 12 in Division III with 16 double-doubles.
Their backcourt teammate Matt O'Neill (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) ranks No. 18 with 69 total steals and averaged 2.56 per game, good for No. 16 in Division III.
Both Megafu and Louison also rank highly among the NCAA Division III active career leaders, Megafu ranking No. 7 in career rebounding average (10.8 rpg) followed by Louison at No. 10 (10.6 rpg). Louison is No. 6 overall in career double-doubles (40) and No. 11 in career rebounds (877 through 83 games), the second-ranked junior in both categories. Megafu is not far behind with 32 career double-doubles, which ranks No. 12 in Division III, the highest-ranked sophomore with a seven double-double lead.
Leading the individual rankings for the Lady Bears is junior Taylor Raccuglia (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney), who ranked No. 30 in blocks with 2.44 swats per game. The one-time HVIAC Player of the Week became the second Lady Bear ever to reach 100 blocks with two blocks against York College on February 5th.
Right by her side in the rankings is junior Samantha Retas (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) who finished No. 33 in blocked shots rejecting 2.36 shots per night. Retas also has rebounded the ball well this season, ranking No. 42 in Division III with 10.9 boards per game. With that, she is now ranked No. 11 in the active career leaders with 10.8 boards per game in her three seasons.
Although the season officially concludes with the NCAA Championship, the statistical rankings will not be considered final until a review process by the NCAA Media Coordination and Statistics office.
St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) men's basketball ranking summary - Through 3/21/2014
St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) women's basketball ranking summary - Through 3/23/2014