Megafu's Double-Double Not Enough as Roanoke Pulls Away From Men's Basketball in Classic Final

SALEM, Va. — Senior Michael Megafu (Jamaica, N.Y./Nazareth) recorded his first double-double of the season with team highs of 21 points and 13 rebounds and  fellow classmate Michael Murray (Glendale, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) scored  a career-high 20 points, but the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball  team couldn't keep pace with Roanoke College falling 105-94 in the championship game of the Dick Leftwich V-Foundation Classic on Saturday afternoon.

In ceremonies after the tournament, Megafu and senior Matt O'Neill (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep)—who netted 17 points—were named to the All-Tournament Team.

The Basics

• Final Score: Roanoke 105, St. Joseph's 94
• Records: Roanoke (3-1), St. Joseph's (1-1)
• Tournament: Dick Leftwich V-Foundation Classic – Championship
• Location: Salem, Va.
• Arena: C. Homer Bast Center – Roanoke College

Turning Point

• A 14-5 Maroon run over four minutes built a double-digit separation with 10 minutes to play and the Bears couldn't close the gap.

How it Happened

• The Bears built an early 12-7 lead with an 8-0 run powered by trifectas from Matt O'Neill and Alec Willis, but both teams remained within five for most of the first half, trading the lead six times.
• A 8-0 spurt by the hosts late in the frame created a 10-point gap with 1:39 to play, but Michael Murray scored eight points over the final 1:09 capped by a halfcourt buzzer beater to send the Bears into the lockers trailing by just four, 49-45.
• A Megafu offensive rebound and layup trimmed the Bears deficit to one, 55-54, just three minutes in, but the SJC couldn't take the lead and remained within reach for the early parts of the second half.
• Roanoke would start to find their range and assembled an 8-0 run, draining two of their nine triples in the half, to build a 78-64 lead with 11:50 to play and maintained a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.

For the Bears

• Michael Megafu turned in a solid all-around effort stuffing the stat sheet with 21 points, on 8-of-9 shooting, with 13 rebounds, three blocks, three steals and two assists.
• Michael Murray netted his career-high 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting, including 4-of-9 from three-point land, including a halfcourt buzzer beater to end the first half.
• Matt O'Neill chipped in 17 points with three rebounds and two assists.
• Jamir Archer shot 6-of-10 en route to 15 points, rounding out four in double figures. He also grabbed six rebounds, five on the offensive end.

Inside the Box Score

• The Maroons held a slight edge in shooting finishing an even 50 percent (37-74) while the Bears finished at a 43.6 percent (34-78) connect rate.
• The hosts also drained 44.1 percent (15-34) from distance including 9-of-16 in the second half.

Next Up for St. Joseph's

The Bears will return home to Brooklyn for their home and Skyline Conference opener hosting Mount Saint Mary College on Tuesday, November 24^th at the Hill center. Live stats and video can be found on SJCBears.com