Men’s Basketball Improves to 5-1 Following 89-74 Victory Over Southern Virginia

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Three different Bears reached the 20-point scoring mark as the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team never trailed in a 89-74 victory over Southern Virginia on Saturday afternoon.

Junior Michael Megafu (Jamaica, N.Y./Nazareth Regional) shot 11-13 from the field en route to a season- and game-high 28 points. Senior David Louison (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) filled up the stat sheet and extended his double-double streak to six games, recording 23 points, 10 boards, four assists, four steals and two blocks.

Senior Vernon Maddox (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) dropped a career-high 23 points helped by a perfect 13-13 from the line as three different Bears reached the 20-point plateau for the first time this season.

Matt O'Neill (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) scored 13 thanks to a 4-4 performance from beyond the arc. The junior also dished out a game-high five helpers and added four rebounds.

Five different Southern Virginia (1-5) players reached double-digit scoring. Senior Preston Eaton led the way with 16 points on 4-6 from three-point range. Junior Kevin Walker contributed 14 points, three boards and three assists.

St. Joseph's (5-1) exploded out of the gate, holding a 19-2 advantage at the 12:46 mark following Megafu's layup that capped a 17-0 run. This furious run set the tone for the rest of the contest as St. Joseph's never relinquished the lead.

The Bears entered the intermission up 41-26. They shot 57.7 percent from the field in the first-half and held the Knights to just 37 percent on 10 made-baskets.

In a more competitive second-half, the Knights managed to cut the lead to single-digits by the 15:40 mark following a layup by Wesley Evans that cut St. Joseph's lead to 47-38.

The Bears would regain control, increasing the gap to 58-43 by the 12:40 mark following a 9-10 stretch from the line.

The Knights' last glimmer of hope came after Kevin Walker's trifecta with 2:08 remaining cut the Bears' lead to single-digits, making the score 78-69. But St. Joseph's would once again hold off a run from SVU, going 5-5 from the line down the stretch to seal the victory.

The Bears shot 54.9 percent in the contest and held their opponent to 43.5 percent. The Bears' most significant advantage, however, came from the free-throw line. St. Joseph's made 29-37 from the charity stripe and the Knights finished just 11-14.

The Bears will look to improve to 6-1 as they return to action on Thursday, December 4 at Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, N.Y. Live stats can be found at SJCBears.com with an 8 p.m. tipoff with the women leading off the doubleheader at 5:30 p.m.