Men’s Basketball Downed 85-79 By Rival Brooklyn College

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team surged late but ultimately fell 85-79 to borough rival Brooklyn College on Thursday night at the West Quad Center.

Matt O'Neill (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) reached the 20-point plateau for the third time this season, raining in a team-high 20 on four made trifectas. The junior has now converted on 33 triples this season.

Michael Megafu (Jamaica, N.Y./Nazareth Regional) filled the stat sheet with a dynamic all-around effort, recording 18 points on 7-for-10 shooting in addition to team highs in rebounds (7), assists (7) and steals (3). The junior also drained a season-high two three-pointers.

Sophomore Richard Dipuma (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) set a new career mark, chipping in 11 points off the bench thanks to a 3-of-5 performance from long range. Freshman Alec Willis (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) also drained a pair from beyond the arc to get in on the three-point party while adding four dishes and three boards.

Egzon Gjonbalaj scored a game-high 22 for the Bulldogs. The junior also grabbed nine rebounds and distributed six helpers. Fellow junior Lorenzo Williams scored 17 and was active on the glass all night, securing a game-best 11 boards.

In the opening minutes, O'Neill sunk a three-pointer to knot the game at 13 at the 14:45 mark. But the Bulldogs led the remainder of the first-half, holding a 47-37 advantage heading into the lockers following two consecutive layups to end the period.

The two Brooklyn teams traded baskets for a majority of the second-half. Gjonbalaj's layup with 7:51 on the clock pushed the Bulldog's lead back up to ten (69-59).

St. Joseph's (8-5) secured some momentum during a 9-3 run finished off by Megafu's basket with 6:08 remaining, making the score 72-68 and bringing the Bears within striking distance in the closing minutes.

But the Bulldogs responded with a 10-3 run in a five-minute span to claim a comfortable 82-71 lead with just 1:06 on the clock.

As per usual, the Bears refused to go quietly as Greg Beehler's (Breezy Point, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) triple with 28 seconds left made it a two-possession game (83-78). But the late surge would fall short and Brooklyn College would improve to 12-2 with the victory.

In a high scoring affair, the Bears managed 12 three-pointers and shot 42.9 percent (29-68) from the field.

The Bulldogs' efficient offense was also on display as the team shot 53.0 percent (35-66) en route to 85 points, the highest total the Bears have surrendered this season. St. Joseph's was also outrebounded (46-37) for just the third time this year.

Following two consecutive close defeats, the Bears will look to get back on the winning track as they host Apprentice in their second game at the brand new Hill Center on Saturday, January 10 at 6 p.m. Live stats and video can be found at SJCBears.com.