Men's Basketball Led by as Many as 17, But Succumb to Late Run in Staten Island

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team (12-7) fell 92-87 on Saturday afternoon after leading by as many as 17 late in the second-half, succumbing to The College of Staten Island's (13-5) furious comeback run.

Michael Megafu (Jamaica, N.Y./Nazareth Regional) showcased another dynamic offensive performance, scoring 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting. The junior also matched a season-high with 17 rebounds for his ninth double-double of the season.

Matt O'Neill (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) netted 25 as well, falling just two points shy of his career-best. The junior continued his season-long barrage from long range, burying 5-of-12 from three.

David Louison (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) flirted with another double-double, pouring in 19 points on 8-of-14 from the floor while corralling nine boards.

Staten Island native Alec Willis (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) rounded out four Bears in double-figures, chipping in 10 on 2-of-4 shooting from downtown.

CSI's Will Fonseca dropped a game-high 32 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for the double-double. The junior was aggressive all afternoon, converting on 16-of-25 field goals.

The Dolphins opened play with a 5-0 run and led 11-4 at the 16:43 mark of the first. But the Bears chipped away and grabbed the momentum with an 8-0 run to claim their first lead (23-21) with 10:28 remaining in the half.

A pair of Megafu free-throws with 1:38 left in the first culminated another 8-0 run to give St. Joseph's their first double-digit advantage (48-37). The Bears entered the intermission leading 48-40.

Louison opened the half with a layup to put St. Joseph's up double-figures (50-40) once again. The Bears remained up double-digits for a majority of the second-half, stretching their advantage to a game-high 17 points (79-62) following Willis' triple with just 6:40 remaining.

But Willis' three triggered Staten Island's furious comeback. The Dolphins answered with a 6-0 run in a span of 41 seconds to quickly cut the deficit to 79-68.

Sophomore Frank Schettino drained a three at the 4:53 mark to shrink St. Joseph's lead to single-digits (81-73) and bring CSI within striking distance. Just 52 seconds later, Schettino would bury another from deep to make the score 82-78 as the Dolphins continued to stalk the Bears.

St. Joseph's remained poised and seemed to regain control following Megafu's three-point play that gave the Bears some breathing room (87-80) with 2:28 remaining.

But the Dolphins closed the game with 12 unanswered points, storming back from certain defeat to steal the win.

Each team shot over 50 percent from the field in today's shootout. But it was a tale of two halves. Staten Island converted on eight three-pointers in the second while St. Joseph's went cold late, hitting just 2-of-8 after sinking 7-of-14 in the first.

The Bears will return home looking to regroup from a disheartening loss, hosting Medgar Evers for the first of five consecutive at the Hill Center on Wednesday, January 28 at 5:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at SJCBears.com.