Men's Basketball Meets HVIAC Foe King's and CCNY at The Hill Center This Weekend

BROOKLYN, N.Y.–The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team will play a pair of pivotal games at the Hill Center this weekend as the regular season winds down, beginning with an HVIAC showdown against King's College (N.Y.) on Saturday at 3 p.m. followed by a meeting with The City College of New York (CCNY) on Sunday at 1 p.m.

Game Information

Opponent: King's College (N.Y.) (2-11, 0-4 HVIAC)
Date/Time: Saturday, February 7 • 3:00 p.m.
Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Arena: The Hill Center • Frank P. Carbone Court
Coverage: Live stats | Video | Game Program

Opponent: The City College of New York (CCNY) (6-14, 1-12 CUNYAC)
Date/Time: Sunday, February 8 • 1:00 p.m.
Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
Arena: The Hill Center • Frank P. Carbone Court
Coverage: Live stats | Video | Game Program

Quick Links

St. Joseph's: Roster | Schedule | Statistics | Misc. Stats
King's: Roster | Schedule | Statistics
CCNY: Roster | Schedule | Statistics

Storylines

• The Bears (14-7, 3-0 HVIAC), winners of two straight and five of their previous six, are streaking towards the finish line. They are coming off a thrilling 82-78 triumph over Valley Forge on Saturday, January 31.
• With Saturday's victory, St. Joseph's remained undefeated in home games (9-0) and at the Hill Center (7-0).
• David Louison posted a career-high 35 points against Valley Forge. On Tuesday, the senior was honored with his fifteenth career AD3I Player of the Week and his tenth career HVIAC Player of the Week. Additionally, on Friday, Louison was named to the 2014-15 Capital One Academic All-District Men's Basketball Team, becoming the first Brooklyn Campus student-athlete to receive the honor in any sport.
• Louison ranks second in the HVIAC in scoring (16.5 ppg) and rebounding (10.9) while fellow big Michael Megafu sits fifth in scoring (16.1 ppg), third in rebounding (9.9 rpg) and first in field goal percentage (60.9%).
• Saturday's showdown will be the Bears' fourth HVIAC game of the season. Their last conference meeting was a comfortable 96-75 victory over Vaughn College on January 21. With the win, St. Joseph's remained unbeaten in HVIAC-play (3-0).
• King's will enter the Hill Center on Saturday seeking their first HVIAC win (0-4). They'll also be looking to rebound from a difficult 107-28 conference loss to Vaughn on Wednesday. The Lions' current six-game skid has dropped them to 2-11 on the season.
• CCNY is also on a six-game losing streak. The Beavers' skid has dropped them to 6-14 following a 3-1 start.
• CCNY senior Anthony Lewis (19.2 ppg) is just 27 points shy of 1,000 for his career.

Series History

Against King's, St. Joseph's is 2-0 in a brief series history dating back to January 21, 2013. The Bears also hold an edge over CCNY, winning four of seven contests dating back to January, 2004.

Last Meeting vs. King's

On December 3, 2013, the Bears set a new school record with nine rejections on their way to a dominating 90-39 victory over King's at Brooklyn Technical High School in their HVIAC and home opener. St. Joseph's led from start to finish and were keyed by their defense and 72.4 percent first-half shooting as they built an insurmountable 58-26 lead at the break.

David Louison contributed 11 points and a team-high seven boards while Francisco Escobedo came off the bench to chip in a career-high 11 along with three caroms and four assists. Richard DiPuma swatted back a game-high three shots.

Last Meeting vs. CCNY

On December 30, 2013, less than a month following their last meeting with King's, St. Joseph's squeaked out an 87-84 overtime victory over CCNY at the Nat Holman Gymnasium. Michael Megafu poured in a team-high 24 on an efficient 11-of-15 shooting while corralling 15 rebounds to go along with four assists and three steals. David Louison dropped in 19 points while securing 10 rebounds.

The game was a back-and-forth contest that saw 12 ties and 20 lead changes. The Bears held a 78-72 advantage with 1:19 remaining and the game looked to be well in hand, but CCNY had other plans, scoring six unanswered to draw even. The extra period saw both teams get off to slow starts with no points scored in the first minute, but St. Joseph's would outscore the Beavers 9-6 the rest of the way to seal the victory.

The Bear Facts

St. Joseph's (14-7, 3-0 HVIAC), winners of two straight and five of their previous six, is streaking towards the finish line. They are coming off a thrilling 82-78 triumph over Valley Forge on Saturday, January 31. With Saturday's victory, the Bears remained undefeated in home games (9-0) and at the Hill Center (7-0).

This Saturday's showdown will be the Bears' fourth HVIAC game of the season. Their last conference meeting was a comfortable 96-75 victory over Vaughn on January 21. With the win, St. Joseph's remained unbeaten in HVIAC-play (3-0).

Both King's and CCNY will enter the Hill Center this weekend eager to snap their six-game skids.

Bears Probable Starters

• Alec Willis (G): The freshman has started all 21 games this season and is second on the Bears with 35-made triples.
• Matt O'Neill (G): St. Joseph's leading distributor (4.4 apg) has compiled 21 dimes in his last two games. O'Neill also leads the Bears in steals (3.3) and sits third in the HVIAC in three-point percentage (39.1%).
• Greg Beehler (G): The sharpshooter is averaging 12.5 points on 54.5 percent (6-11) from downtown in his last two games.
• Michael Megafu (F): Sits fifth in the HVIAC in scoring (16.1 ppg), third in rebounding (9.9 rpg) and first in field goal percentage (60.9%). Megafu is averaging 21.0 points in his last three contests.
• David Louison (F): Leads the Bears and ranks second in the HVIAC in scoring (16.5 ppg) and rebounding (10.9 rpg). On Tuesday, Louison was awarded the AD3I and HVIAC Player of the Week and, on Friday, he was named to the 2014-15 Capital One Academic All-District Men's Basketball Team.

Bears Last Time Out

Powered by timely shooting and David Louison's career-high 35 points, St. Joseph's controlled the final minutes to clip The University of Valley Forge 82-78 on Alumni Night last Saturday, winning their second in a row and improving to 14-7.

Louison shot a remarkable 15-of-20 en route to his career-night. Michael Megafu contributed his eleventh double-double of the season, filling up the boxscore with 14 points, 11 rebounds, three dishes, a pair of steals and two blocks.

Matt O'Neill dished out 11 helpers, tying his career-high and falling one assist short of the school record. The guard also poured in 19 points to secure his third career double-double.

Valley Forge led 69-63 with 6:03 remaining but the Bears continued to stalk their opponent, eventually reclaiming a 77-75 advantage with just 1:30 on the clock. Down 78-77 in the final minute, O'Neill responded with what proved to be the game-winning basket, driving hard to the hoop for a layup that dramatically rolled around the rim before finally finding net.

Louison Claims Weekly Awards and Named Academic All-District

After averaging 24.5 points per game, pouring in a career-high 35 points and leading the Bears to a 2-0 week, David Louison was named the Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) and Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) Player of the Week on Tuesday.

This is the fifteenth time in his illustrious career that Louison has received the AD3I Player of the Week. A repeat winner of the award, he is also now a 10-time recipient of the HVIAC weekly honor.

In addition, on Friday, Louison was named to the 2014-15 Capital One Academic All-District Men's Basketball Team, becoming the first Brooklyn Campus student-athlete to receive the honor in any sport. Only five Division III men's basketball players from New York schools were given the distinction and only 44 nationally.

"Student-athletes have all heard that one common motif repeated before, during, and after every single season: 'Being a student comes first!'" remarked Louison who boasts a 3.93 grade point average as a criminal justice major.

A King's Speech

King's will enter the Hill Center on Saturday seeking their first HVIAC victory (0-4). They'll also be looking to rebound from a difficult 107-28 conference loss to Vaughn on Wednesday. The Lions' current six-game skid has dropped them to 2-11 on the season.

King's has struggled on offense this season, averaging a conference-low 52.3 points per game. Sophomore James Brooks leads the way on offense (9.5 ppg) and senior Jeremiah Gill is their most reliable presence on the glass, pulling down 7.0 caroms per contest.

King's Last Time Out

On Wednesday, the Lions (2-11, 0-4 HVIAC) suffered an ugly 107-28 conference defeat at the hands of Vaughn. The Lions failed to find any rhythm, finishing 12-of-59 (20.3%) from the floor and coming up empty on all 17 of their three-point attempts. Sophomore James Brooks poured in more than half of his team's points, finishing with 18.

Inside the Beaver Lodge

Following a positive 3-1 start, CCNY's current six-game skid has dropped them to 6-14 on the season, including a 1-12 conference record. Sunday will mark St. Joseph's fourth matchup this season against a CUNYAC school. The Bears currently hold an even 2-2 record against the conference.

Sophomore Khalil Hamer (19.7 ppg) and senior Anthony Lewis (19.2 ppg) provide the bulk of the scoring for the Beavers. Lewis is just 27 shy of 1,000 career points. The forward also corrals 10.9 boards per game to boast a double-double average.

CCNY Last Time Out

On Tuesday, the Beavers dropped a CUNYAC matchup to Staten Island, falling 83-70 on the road. Senior Anthony Lewis scored a team-high 22 for CCNY in a losing effort. The Beavers, who fell to 6-14 with the loss, were unable to contain CSI's Will Fonseca, who erupted for 39 points on 15-of-25 shooting.

Next Up for the Bears

On Thursday, February 12, St. Joseph's will host No. 1 Berkeley in a crucial HVIAC matchup on Senior Night. Tipoff is at 7 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at SJCBears.com.