Men's Basketball Travels to Pennsylvania for USCAA Nationals; Meets Rochester in the Quarterfinals on Wednesday

UNIONTOWN, Pa. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team will travel to Uniontown, Pennsylvania for the 2015 United States Collegiate Athletic Association Division I National Championships this week, meeting No. 3 Rochester College in the quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 4 at 3 p.m. on the campus of Penn State Fayette. The Bears (18-9) will enter as the No. 6 seed in the eight-team field.

Game Information

Quarterfinal Round: No. 3 Rochester College (20-10)
Date/Time: Wednesday, March 4 • 3:00 p.m.
Location: Uniontown, Pa.
Arena: Penn State Fayete Maltho Arena
Coverage: Live stats | Video

Semifinal Round: No. 2 Berea College (19-5) or No. 7 Iowa Wesleyan College (12-10)
Date/Time: Thursday, March 5 • 10:00 p.m.
Location: Uniontown, Pa.
Arena: Penn State Fayete Main Arena

Quick Links

St. Joseph's: Roster | Schedule | Statistics | Misc. Stats
Rochester: Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Berea: Roster | Schedule | Statistics
Iowa Wesleyan: Roster | Schedule | Statistics

Storylines

• St. Joseph's (18-9) will be making their sixth appearance in the tournament. The Bears made four appearances in the Division II tournament from 2003-2007 and earned their first Division I berth in 2013, making their deepest run as national runners-up in 2003.
• Wednesday will be a rematch of the Bears' last nationals appearance in 2013, when they entered as the No. 8 seed and drew top-ranked Rochester in the first round. The Warriors went on to win the national championship.
• In their only previous meeting with a USCAA opponent this season, the Bears controlled Apprentice en route to an 83-64 victory at The Hill Center on January 10.
• St. Joseph's will be returning to action for the first time since the Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) Tournament. The Bears came up just short in their quest for their second consecutive title, falling 91-82 to Berkeley College in the championship round on February 22.
• After leading the Bears to an appearance in the  HVIAC Tournament final and a 5-1 regular season record against the conference, senior David Louison and juniors Michael Megafu and Matt O'Neill were named members of the HVIAC All-Conference Team, while head coach Joseph Cocozello was awarded Coach of the Year. Louison also claimed the inaugural HVIAC Player of the Year award.
• In addition, Louison was selected to the 2014-15 Capital One Academic All-America® Division III Men's Basketball First Team, the first Brooklyn Campus student-athlete to receive the esteemed honor.

Series History

St. Joseph's and Rochester will be squaring off for the second time in history, both times with a USCAA semifinal berth at stake. The Warriors bested the Bears in their first meeting in the first round of the 2013 tournament.

St. Joseph's will be squaring off with an unfamiliar foe in the second round, having never met Berea or Iowa Wesleyan in their history.

Last Meeting vs. Rochester

On February 27, 2013, in the opening round of the 2013 USCAA National Championships, the top-seeded Warriors eliminated the Bears from contention with a 75-52 triumph. Rochester was powered by a 43-23 first-half performance.

USCAA All-American sophomore David Louison netted nine points while securing eight caroms. Matt O'Neill scored 10 and Michael Megafu contributed six points and a team-high nine boards.

The Bears (16-12) drew a Rochester squad  that finished the regular season 26-3, including a victory over Division I Eastern Illinois. All three of their losses came at the hands of Division I opponents. The high-powered Warriors would go on to claim the USCAA championship.

The Bear Facts

St. Joseph's (18-9) will be making their sixth appearance in the USCAA National Championships. They made four appearances in the Division II tournament from 2003-2007 and earned their first Division I berth in 2013, making their deepest run as national runners-up in 2003.

Wednesday will be a rematch of the Bears' last nationals appearance in 2013, when they entered as the No. 8 seed and drew top-seeded and eventual champion Rochester in the first round. In their only previous meeting with a USCAA opponent this season, the Bears controlled Apprentice en route to an 83-64 victory at The Hill Center on January 10.

Wednesday will also mark St. Joseph's first competitive action since the HVIAC Tournament. The Bears came up just short in their quest for their second consecutive title, falling 91-82 to Berkeley College in the championship round on February 22.

Bears Probable Starters

• Alec Willis (G): The freshman has started 26 of 27 games for the Bears this season, ranking second on the team in triples (43), third in minutes (31.7 mpg) and fifth in scoring (7.7 ppg).
• Matt O'Neill (G): The HVIAC All-Conference junior leads the USCAA and sits third in the Division III rankings with a 3.3 steals per game average. O'Neill is also the Bears' primary fasciliator, dishing a team-high 4.6 assists per contest (No. 5 in USCAA).
• Greg Beehler (G): The junior is shooting an efficient 39.0 percent from beyond the arc, pouring in the third-most three-pointers (23) on the team.
• Michael Megafu (F): The HVIAC-All Conference junior is second on the team in scoring (16.0 ppg) and the sixth leading rebounder (10.0 rpg) in the USCAA. A consistent offensive presence, Megafu leads St. Joseph's with nine 20-plus point performances this season.
• David Louison (F): The senior was named HVIAC All-Conference, HVIAC Player of the Year, and Division III Academic All-America First Team for his outstanding performance on and off the court this season. Louison ranks 11^th in the USCAA in scoring (16.5 ppg) and third in rebounding (11.3 rpg), leading the Bears in both categories.

Bears Last Time Out

Facing Berkeley College for the eighth time in the HVIAC title game, the No. 2 Bears succumbed to a strong second-half spurt from their top-seeded rivals, falling 91-82 in Albany, N.Y. on February 22 in their quest to defend the championship.

David Louison paced the Bears on offense with an efficient 20 points on 9-of-14 from the floor. The senior added eight rebounds, three assists and a pair of rejections. Matt O'Neill was all over the floor, pouring in 18 on top of six boards and three helpers. The junior also tormented the opposing offense with a game-high six thefts.

St. Joseph's looked poised to defend their title in the early going, leading by as many as 11 in the first half and heading into the break up six. But the Knights shot 52.9 percent in a commanding second-half performance, seizing the momentum and outscoring the Bears 54-39 in the period to seal the championship.

Three Bears Named HVIAC All-Conference, Cocozello Coach of the Year

After leading the Bears to an appearance in the  HVIAC Tournament final and a 5-1 regular season record against the conference, senior David Louison and juniors Michael Megafu and Matt O'Neill were named members of the HVIAC All-Conference Team, while head coach Joseph Cocozello was awarded Coach of the Year. Louison also claimed the inaugural HVIAC Player of the Year award.

Louison Named Division III Academic All-America

Adding to his growing list of accolades, David Louison was recently selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America to the 2014-15 Capital One Academic All-America® Division III Men's Basketball First Team, the first Brooklyn Campus student-athlete to receive the honor.

Louison was selected as an Academic All-District honoree two weeks ago, one of five student-athletes from Division III men's basketball teams in New York state. As a first team Academic All-America selection, he is among the top five student-athletes across over 400 Division III men's basketball schools nationally.

The Way of the Warrior

Rochester, located in Michigan, is a member of the Association of Independent Institutions Conference. They finished 20-10 this season, compiling a 17-1 record at home. The school holds claim to three USCAA National Champions (2004, 2005, 2013), eliminating the Bears on the road to their 2013 title. The No. 3 Warriors will be looking to improve on last season's first-round ouster at the hands of Newport News.

Paris Pereira leads Rochester's offensive attack, netting 13.4 points per contest. The sophomore also distributes a team-best 3.9 assists. Milton Cribbs is the team's premier presence under the rim, corralling a team-high 7.6 boards. The junior also provides extra offense, averaging 10.7 points.

Rochester Last Time Out

On February 27, the Warriors were ousted 67-47 by Ashford University in the first round of the AIIC Division II Championship Tournament. Top-seeded Ashford would go on to claim the title.

Sophomore Paris Pereira, the only Warrior to reach double figures, scored a team-high 10 points. Rochester was stymied on the offensive end, converting on just 17 field goals and recording their second lowest offensive output of the season.

Reaching their Peak

Berea, a provisional Division III Independent located in Kentucky, compiled a 19-5 record to earn the USCAA No. 2 seed. The consistent and resilient Mountaineers have yet to drop consecutive games, responding positively to each of their five losses.

Berea led the USCAA in scoring this season, pouring in an impressive 87.5 points per game on the offensive end. They've reached the 100-point plateau on four occasions, including a season-high 120-point barrage on February 11.

Berea boasts ten players averaging at least 5.0 points per contest. Sophomore Richard Parker (15.9 ppg) leads the way, while senior Daishon Robinson (14.8 ppg) and junior London Moore (11.6 ppg) round out three players averaging double figures for the explosive Mountaineers.

Berea Last Time Out

On February 24, Ohio Christian College edged out Berea 98-93 in a double-overtime classic on the Mountaineers' Senior Night. Ohio capped the second overtime with a 9-0 burst in the final three minutes to claim a thrilling victory.

Senior Daishon Robinson dropped a team-high 24 for the Mountaineers, sinking 12-of-14 at the line. Fellow senior London Moore scored 18 and pulled down 10 boards for the double-double while sophomore Richard Parker sunk four triples en route to a 22-point performance.

Predator Mentality

No. 7 Iowa Wesleyan are members of the St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) and are provisional NCAA Division III members. The 12-10 Tigers capped off a streaky 2014-15 campaign with their first USCAA National Championship berth. Iowa kicked off the season with three straight victories but proceeded to drop their next three to fall to .500. They ran off five consecutive wins in late January and early February to improve to 12-8, but the underdog Tigers will enter the USCAA Tournament on a two-game losing streak.

Chris Fowler (14.1 ppg) is the lone Tiger averaging double figures. The junior also dishes a team-best 4.3 assists. Junior Will Stephenson corals a team-high 5.3 boards and chips in 8.6 points per contest on offense.

Iowa Wesleyan Last Time Out

The Tigers closed out their regular season schedule on February 24 with a 65-59 conference loss to Eureka College. Eureka held a slight 22-20 advantage following a defensive first half. Iowa grinded out a three-point advantage (52-49) with just 5:42 remaining, but they were outscored 16-7 the rest of the way, dropping their second in a row.

Junior Chris Fowler led all scorers with 20 for the Tigers, also adding a game-high five dimes. Junior Will Stephenson and sophomore Dion Lightner each chipped in 11 points in a losing effort.