Men's Basketball Looks to Build on 4-1 Start Welcoming Southern Virginia on Saturday

BROOKLYN, N.Y.–The St. Joseph's (Brooklyn) men's basketball team will look to rebound from their first loss of the season hosting Capital Athletic Conference foe Southern Virginia University on Saturday, November 29 at Pratt Institute in the first game of a doubleheader starting at 2 p.m.

Game Information  

Opponent: Southern Virginia University (1-4, 0-1 CAC)
Date/Time: Saturday, November 29 • 2 p.m.

Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Arena: Pratt ARC (Directions)

Coverage: Live stats | Video | Game Program
Play-by-play: Sitesh Shah (@SSWfan)

Quick Links

St. Joseph's: Roster | Schedule | Statistics | Misc. Stats
Southern Virginia: Roster | Schedule | Statistics

Storylines

• The 4-1 Bears suffered their first loss of the season on November 22 at Eastern Nazarene in the ENC Classic final.
• David Louison has led the way for St. Joseph's, recording a double-double in all five games this season. The senior leads the team in scoring (16.0) and rebounding (13.2).
• Last week, Louison was the recipient of his second career United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Player of the Week award and his seventh Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) Player of the Week.
• Louison is coming off his best game of the season against Eastern Nazarene, recording a season-high 27 points and 18 rebounds.
• Michael Megafu is also averaging a double-double, recording four so far this season, scoring 14.0 points and grabbing 10.6 rebounds per game. The junior is shooting a team-high 61.9 percent from the field.
• Junior Matt O'Neill is averaging 13.0 points per game and team-highs in assists (3.4) and steals (2.8). O'Neill is coming off a season-best 22-point performance against Eastern Nazarene.
• The 1-4 Knights will enter the contest on a four-game losing streak. They will be led by senior Preston Eaton, who is averaging team-highs in scoring (13.4), rebounding (5.0) and assists (2.8). Eaton scored a season-high 35 points in SVU's thrilling season-opening 3OT victory at Emory & Henry.

Series History

 Southern Virginia holds a 1-0 edge in the series that started last year.

Last Meeting

In the lone meeting between the squads last November, the Knights pulled away in the second half after a tie game at half to win 69-54 in Buena Vista, Va.

The Bears set a new single-game blocks record with eight, led by Michael Megafu's four rejections also scoring a team-high 18 points with seven rebounds. Ian Duff added 11 points and David Louison rounded out three in double figures with 11 and eight.

The Bear Facts

The Bears look to bounce back from their first loss of the season last Saturday at Eastern Nazarene where David Louison paced the Bears with his fifth double-double of the season scoring 27 points along with 18 rebounds and Matt O'Neill had a season-high 22 points.

Despite the loss, the Bears at 4-1 are off to their best start since the 2006-07 season, racing out to a 4-0 mark, the longest win streak to start the season under Head Coach Joseph Cocozello.

Louison (16.2 ppg, 13.2 rpg) leads three Bears averaging double-figures so far this season. Michael Megafu is shooting a team-best .619 and enters with a 14.0 ppg and 10.6 rpg average and four double-doubles. O'Neill (13.0 ppg) has provided the deep threat connecting on .357 (10-28) from behind the arc leads the team in steals (2.8) and assists (3.4). Guard Vernon Maddox continues to be one of the Bears best free throw shooters at .826 (19-23) and enters just below double figures at 9.6 points per game.

Bears Last Time Out

Last Saturday, St. Joseph's was downed by Eastern Nazarene, 78-71, in the ENC Classic final in a battle of unbeatens. The Bears were carried by David Louison's 27 points and 18 rebounds—both season- and game-highs—and the fifth consecutive double-double for the senior. Junior Matt O'Neill buried a season-high 22 points and added three rebounds, four assists and three steals.

Louison Claims Player of the Week Honors

David Louison was the recipient of his second career United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) Player of the Week honor and his seventh Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) Player of the Week. The senior averaged 16.3 points and 14.7 rebounds and recorded three double-doubles last week.

En route to the awards, Louison became the first Bear player to reach the career 100-block mark on November 19 vs. Pratt.

The Knightly News

Southern Virginia is led by third-year Head Coach Tony Caputo. In his first season at the helm in 2012-13, Caputo led the Knights to a 17-7 record, including a perfect 8-0 at home, registering the fewest losses (7) and second-highest winning percentage (.708) in program history. After a 6-16 finish last season, SVU seeks to regain its form in 2014-15, but face a tough schedule playing their first season in the Capital Athletic Conference.

The Knights enter looking to snap a four-game skid after winning their season opener at Emory & Henry in triple overtime. Senior Preston Eaton leads the team in scoring (13.4), rebounding (5.0) and assists (2.8).

Southern Virginia Last Time Out

On November 25, Southern Virginia dropped their conference-opener 65-60 to Marymount. SVU was led by junior reserves Kevin Walker and David Baety. Walker scored a team-high 11 points and added a game-high three steals. Baety scored 10 points on 2-5 shooting from beyond the arc. Suffering their fourth consecutive loss, the Knights dropped to 1-4 on the season.

Next Up for the Bears

St. Joseph's will travel to Riverdale, N.Y. to take on Mount Saint Vincent (3-0) on Thursday, December 4 at 8 p.m. The women will lead off the road doubleheader at 5:30 p.m. Live stats will be available on SJCBears.com