Men's Basketball Controls Conference Rival Vaughn for Their Third Straight, Louison Reaches 1,500 Career Points

BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Led by David Louison's (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) career-high 33 points, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team won a physical battle 96-75 over conference rival Vaughn to improve to 12-6, remaining undefeated in the conference (3-0) and at the Hill Center (5-0).

En route to his career-best 33, Louison also secured his 1,500^th career point in the first-half after sinking one of his career-high 15 free-throws, becoming the first Bear to join the 1,500-point, 1,000-rebound club. The senior made a living at the line all night, converting on 15-of-20. Louison also grabbed 10 rebounds for his 14th double-double this year.  

Fellow forward Michael Megafu (Jamaica, N.Y./Nazareth Regional) tallied his eighth double-double of the season, scoring 10 points and corralling a game-high 16 boards. The Bears improved to 6-1 when both forwards record double-doubles.

Jamir Archer (Staten Island, N.Y./CSI McCown) matched his second-highest offensive output of the season, finishing with 13 on 4-of-5 shooting to go along with six rebounds.

Matt O'Neill (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) chipped in 12 points on a pair of three-pointers. The junior, currently second in Division III with a 3.3 steals per game average, swiped five more tonight. Greg Beehler (Breezy Point, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) also poured in 12 helped by two triples off the bench.

St. Joseph's continued their recent trend by starting hot, claiming a ten point advantage (14-4) roughly five minutes after tipoff.

Louison's layup with 3:46 remaining in the first gave the Bears their largest lead of the half, putting them up 44-25. St. Joseph's entered the intermission in complete control up 49-34.

The Bears continued to build on their lead in the second period. Beehler came off the bench and displayed his smooth jumper to give the Bears a 20-point advantage (62-42) six minutes into the half.

The Warriors showed signs of life late in the second, cutting the deficit to 14 (75-61) with 7:00 remaining. But St. Joseph's responded with a quick 7-0 run to put a permanent damper on Vaughn's comeback hopes.

The Bears coasted to the finish, claiming their third consecutive victory and remaining undefeated at the Hill Center as they continue to build a formidable homecourt advantage in their new home.

In a chippy game that saw four technical fouls, including a double-technical and subsequent ejection of Vaughn's Head Coach following excessive arguing, St. Joseph's remained composed throughout, controlling the lead from the 16:54 mark of the first until the final buzzer.

Falling just short of the century mark, an efficient Bears offense shot 50.8 percent from the floor, 42.9 percent from deep and converted on a season-high 26 free-throws. St. Joseph's continued their strong play on the glass as well, outrebounding the Warriors 47-35.

The Bears will be on the road following three straight victories at the Hill Center, meeting The College of Staten Island on Saturday, January 24 at 1 p.m. Video can be found at SJCBears.com.