Men's Basketball Heads to Albany, N.Y. Looking to Defend Title at HVIAC Tournament This Weekend

ALBANY, N.Y.–The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team (17-8, 5-1 HVIAC) travels to Albany, N.Y. for the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) Tournament this weekend. The No. 2 Bears will meet No. 3 Vaughn College (13-12, 4-2 HVIAC) in the semifinals on Saturday with a 4 p.m. tipoff. No. 1 Berkeley College (17-5, 6-0 HVIAC) will faceoff with No. 4 Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (5-15, 3-3 HVIAC) in the other semifinal, with the winners meeting on Sunday to decide a champion.

Game Information

Semifinal Round: No. 3 Vaughn College (13-12, 4-2 HVIAC)
Date/Time: Saturday, February 21 • 4:00 p.m.
Location: Albany, N.Y.
Arena: Albert M. White Gymnasium

Championship Round: No. 1 Berkeley College (17-5, 6-0 HVIAC) or No. 4 Albany Pharmacy (5-15, 3-3 HVIAC)
Date/Time: Sunday, February 22 • TBA
Location: Albany, N.Y.
Arena: Albert M. White Gymnasium

Quick Links

St. Joseph's: Roster | Schedule | Statistics | Misc. Stats
Vaughn: Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Berkeley: Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Albany Pharmacy: Roster | Schedule | Statistics

Storylines

• The Bears (17-8, 5-1 HVIAC) will return to Albany, N.Y. after closing their regular season schedule there last Saturday, downing Albany Pharmacy 65-52 to clinch the No. 2 seed in the conference. St. Joseph's finished off the regular season winning eight of their last ten contests.
• The Bears will be seeking their second consecutive HVIAC Tournament title and fourth in school history. Last season, they downed Albany Pharmacy in the semifinal and Vaughn in the championship to claim the title.
• Finishing with a 5-1 record in conference-play this season, St. Joseph's suffered their only league loss to Berkeley (77-68) at The Hill Center on February 12.
• The Bears initiated The Hill Center with a 9-1 record in its inaugural season, fashioning a formidable homecourt advantage in their brand new home. They finished 2-6 in away games and 4-1 in neutral contests.
• David Louison capped off his final regular season week as a Bear with his 16^th career AD3I Player of the Week. Louison finished the season as the team's leader in scoring (16.6 ppg), rebounding (11.3 rpg), blocks (1.4 bpg) and minutes (32.9 mpg).
• Vaughn will be seeking revenge on Saturday after falling to the Bears 96-75 on January 21 in their lone meeting of the season.
• The Warriors came alive down the stretch following a 5-11 start, claiming seven of their final eight to move above .500 (13-12) and earn a berth into the HVIAC Tournament.

Series History vs. Vaughn

St. Joseph's has controlled the series, dropping just one contest in the eleven-game history dating back to January 21, 2009. Vaughn's first and only victory came on January 26, 2012.

Last Meeting vs. Vaughn

On January 21, the Bears won a physical battle 96-75 over conference rival Vaughn to improve to 12-6. St. Joseph's was led by David Louison's career-high 33 points.

En route to his career-night, 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 also grabbed 10 rebounds for his 14th double-double this year. 

Fellow forward Michael Megafu tallied his eighth double-double of the season, scoring 10 points and corralling a game-high 16 boards.

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

Series History vs. Berkeley

The Bears and the Knights have met 24 times in the series history, including seven times in the Hudson Valley championship game, with St. Joseph's holding a 14-10 all-time edge. Eight of the previous ten meetings in the highly competitive rivalry have been decided by single digits.

Last Meeting vs. Berkeley

On February 12, with the HVIAC regular season title on the line on Senior Night in front of a packed Hill Center crowd, St. Joseph's dropped a hard-fought battle 77-68 to Berkeley. The Bears fell just short of clinching their second consecutive HVIAC regular season title, losing for the first time this year at The Hill Center (9-1) and in conference play (5-1).

David Louison fittingly finished his last game at The Hill Center with another double-double, his seventeenth of the season, recording team highs in points (16) and boards (13).

With just 6:11 remaining, Berkeley claimed their largest lead of the night (66-54). But Matt O'Neill kept his team afloat, draining a pair from long range to cut the deficit in half. The Bears flirted with a comeback as the minutes ticked away. A pair of clutch Louison free-throws made it a one-possession affair (71-68) with just 1:56 left to play. But the Knights held St. Joseph's scoreless the rest of the way to finish off the victory and clinch the top seed in the conference.

Series History vs. Albany Pharmacy

The two sides have clashed 16 times in the series history dating back to 2002. The Bears have maintained a significant edge over the Panthers, coming out on top in 13 of the 16 meetings, including the last six.

Last Meeting vs. Albany Pharmacy

On February 14, the Bears rode a strong second half to put away Albany Pharmacy in their regular season finale, clinching the No. 2 seed heading into the HVIAC Tournament.

David Louison led the offensive attack in his final regular season game in a Bears uniform, dropping a game-high 25 on 12-of-23 shooting. The senior also grabbed a game-best 16 boards to secure his eighteenth double-double of the season. Matt O'Neill stuffed the statsheet with nine points, nine rebounds and game highs in assists (7) and thefts (5).

St. Joseph's trailed by as many as ten in the first but exploded for an 18-6 run late in the period to enter the intermission with a slight 34-32 advantage. The Bears never relinquished the momentum, allowing just nine baskets in a dominant second period to secure the win.

The Bear Facts

The Bears (17-8, 5-1 HVIAC) will return to Albany, N.Y. after closing their regular season schedule there last Saturday, downing Albany Pharmacy 65-52 to clinch the No. 2 seed in the conference. St. Joseph's finished off the regular season winning eight of their last ten contests.

The Bears will be seeking their second consecutive HVIAC Tournament title and fourth in school history. Last season, they downed Albany Pharmacy in the semifinal and Vaughn in the championship to claim the title.

Finishing with a 5-1 record in conference-play this season, St. Joseph's suffered their only league loss to Berkeley (77-68) at The Hill Center on February 12. The Bears initiated the brand new Hill Center with a 9-1 record in its inaugural season.

Bears Probable Starters

• Alec Willis (G): The freshman started 25 of 24 regular season games for the Bears this season, ranking second on the team in triples (40), third in minutes (32.0 mpg) and fifth in scoring (7.6 ppg).
• Matt O'Neill (G): The junior guard leads the HVIAC in assists (4.5 apg). He also ranks second in the conference in thefts (3.2 spg) and ninth in scoring (13.5 ppg).
• Greg Beehler (G): The sharpshooter earned more playing time as the season progressed. Beehler has started six of the Bears' last seven games and leads the team in three-point percentage (40.4%).
• Michael Megafu (F): The junior leads the HVIAC with a 61.5 shooting percentage, ranks fifth in the league in scoring (16.2 ppg) and sits third in boards (10.1 rpg).
• David Louison (F): Coming off his 16^th career AD3I Player of the Week, the senior is the third leading scorer (16.6 ppg) and second leading rebounder (11.3 rpg) in the HVIAC. He also leads the Bears in both categories.

Bears Last Time Out

On February 14, the Bears rode a strong second half to put away Albany Pharmacy in their regular season finale, clinching the No. 2 seed heading into the HVIAC Tournament.

David Louison led the offensive attack in his final regular season game in a Bears uniform, dropping a game-high 25 on 12-of-23 shooting. The senior also grabbed a game-best 16 boards to secure his eighteenth double-double of the season. Matt O'Neill stuffed the statsheet with nine points, nine rebounds and game highs in assists (7) and thefts (5).

St. Joseph's trailed by as many as ten in the first but exploded for an 18-6 run late in the period to enter the intermission with a slight 34-32 advantage. The Bears never relinquished the momentum, allowing just nine baskets in a dominant second half to secure the win.

Louison Nabs AD3I Player of the Week

After securing two more double-doubles and averaging 20.5 points and 14.5 rebounds, David Louison was named the Association of Division III Independents (AD3I) Men's Basketball Player of the Week on Tuesday.

In a 1-1 week for the Bears, Louison also shot 51.5 percent from the floor and averaged 3.0 assists and 3.5 blocks. This is the sixteenth time in his illustrious career and third time this season that Louison has received the AD3I Player of the Week honor.

The Way of the Warrior

Vaughn (13-12, 4-2 HVIAC) came alive down the stretch following a 5-11 start, claiming seven of their final eight to move above .500 (13-12) and earn a berth into the HVIAC Tournament. The Warriors' streaky regular season included a pair of three-game losing streaks, a four-game losing streak, and a recent six-game winning streak.

Last season, Vaughn finished 14-11 and reached the HVIAC Championship. After falling 92-76 to St. Joseph's in the final, the Warriors will no doubt be seeking redemption on Saturday. In their lone meeting this season against the Bears on January 21, St. Joseph's coasted to a 96-75 victory.

The Warriors boast three double-digit scorers and rely on strong wing-play on offense. Guards Michael Pena (11.6 ppg), Rashad Luckett (10.6 ppg) and Willis Prezzy (10.4 ppg) provide the bulk of the scoring for Vaughn.

Vaughn Last Time Out

On February 14, powered by a 40-15 first-half explosion, the Warriors dismantled HVIAC foe Culinary 76-41 in Hyde Park, N.Y. Four players reached double-figure scoring for Vaughn, including double-doubles from junior Moises Chaucer (11 pts, 10 rbs) and freshman Isiah Reed (10 pts, 11 rbs).

The Knightly News

Victors of six in a row, Berkeley (17-5, 6-0 HVIAC) is streaking towards the finish line. The Knights have had their way with HVIAC opponents this year, winning all six of their meetings by an average margin of 35.3 points, including a 122-38 shellacking of King's. But St. Joseph's challenged Berkeley on February 12 despite missing injured forward Michael Megafu, ultimately succumbing to the Knights 77-68 in a competitive matchup.

A high-powered Berkeley offense pours in a conference-best 84.9 points per game. Senior Kenton Chan-Man (17.0 ppg), junior Keenan Langston (16.4 ppg) and sophomore Massiah Merritt (15.9 ppg) share the reins on the offensive end, ranking second, fourth and sixth respectively in the HVIAC scoring ranks. Merritt (42.1%) and Chan-Man (41.5%) also sit first and second in the conference in three-point percentage.

Berkeley Last Time Out

On February 12, the Knights clinched the top seed in the conference and handed the Bears their first loss at The Hill Center and in HVIAC-play with an impressive 77-68 triumph. Berkeley trailed 39-35 after the break, but controlled the second period on the heels of stellar performances from senior Kenton Chan-Man and junior Keenan Langston.

Chan-Man finished the contest with a game-high 31 points on 5-of-7 shooting from deep, while Langston dropped 29 and grabbed eight boards.

On the Prowl

Despite their 5-15 overall record, the Panthers finished .500 (3-3) against HVIAC opponents this season. Albany Pharmacy also entered last season's tournament as the No. 4 seed, ultimately falling to the top-seeded Bears in the semifinals.

As the bottom seed and losers of seven of their last eight, the Panthers will enter this weekend as a Cinderella team with upset hopes. They face a tall task against top-seeded Berkeley in their semifinal on Saturday.

Freshman Alex Johnson (12.6 ppg) and senior Ryan McVaigh (12.1 ppg) pace the Panthers on the offensive end. Senior Emmanuel Okafor leads his team and ranks fourth in the HVIAC in rebounding, averaging 9.4 caroms per contest.

Albany Pharmacy Last Time Out

On Monday, Albany Pharmacy dropped their second in a row and seventh of the last eight, falling to Green Mountain College 69-59 in Poultney, VT. The Panthers entered the lockers clutching a 32-28 advantage, but ultimately fell victim to a strong second-half comeback from Green Mountain.

Alex Johnson led all scorers with 21 in a losing effort. The first-year player also pulled down 12 rebounds for the double-double. Senior teammate Emmanuel Okafor corralled a season-best 20 boards in a stellar performance under the rim.