Megafu Joins 100-Block Club as Men's Basketball Rallies To Defeat Mount Saint Mary in Skyline Debut

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Senior Matt O'Neill (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) tallied a game-high 17 points and reigning Skyline Conference Player of the Week Michael Megafu (Jamaica, N.Y/Nazareth Regional) recorded a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double to lead the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team to a 69-66 victory over Mount Saint Mary College in their Skyline and home opener on Tuesday evening at The Hill Center.

Megafu also added five blocks and as many steals on the defensive end to become just the second Bear to cross the 100-block milestone.

The Basics

• Final Score: St. Joseph's 69, Mount Saint Mary 66
• Records: St. Joseph's (2-1, 1-0 Skyline), Mount Saint Mary (2-2, 0-1 Skyline)
• Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Arena: The Hill Center

Turning Point

• A 17-2 Bears run over five minutes reversed an eight-point deficit into a seven-point lead, 54-47, just past the midway point of the second half and the Bears never trailed again.
• After just two points in the first half, O'Neill found his rhythym in the second stanza dropping 15 points, shooting 3-of-6 from three-point land, including the game winning triple with 1:55 to play.

How it Happened

• The Knights never trailed in the first half, opening up a nine-point lead on four occasions shooting 51 percent in the half, while the Bears searched for the range in the opening half.
• A three-point play by Tyler McDine to open the new half gave MSMC a 10-point lead, the biggest separation of the contest.
• But the Bears ran off eight straight with four from Megafu and baskets from Archer and O'Neill to pull within two, 39-37, at the 16:51 mark.
• MSMC responded with back-to-back three-pointers from Jason Oder to move ahead eight before a steal and breakaway dunk by Megafu sparked a 17-2 run that gave the Bears their first lead of the game and they never trailed again.
• With the game knotted at 64-all and two minutes left to play, O'Neill drained a left corner trifecta that gave the Bears the lead for good.
• O'Neill later helped preserve a 68-66 lead with :16.6 to play helping to cause a key turnover that gave the Bears back the ball and sinking 1-of-2 in the bonus for the final differential.

For the Bears

• O'Neill tallied his game high by way of 7-of-17 shooting and three trifectas. He also padded his stat line with seven boards, five assists and three steals.
• Megafu recorded his second double-double of the season with another monster all-around effort with 12 points on 6-of-12 shooting and 10 caroms, also rejecting five shots and swiping as many steals.
• Jamir Archer had an effective 6-of-8 shooting night with 13 points and six rebounds.
• Christian Giles came off the bench to add 10 points, on 2-of-4 shooting and 4-of-6 from the charity stripe.

For the Knights

• Jason Jones led 10 different Knights to score a field goal with 15 points and eight rebounds.
• Daniel Wolff added 11 points on 5-of-10 shooting and secured five caroms.
• Jason Oder chipped in nine points off the bench on 3-of-3 shooting with two triples and three boards.

Inside the Box Score

• The Bears struggled to find their range in the first half shooting 35 percent (12-34) but improved to 47 percent in the second stanza (15-32) to finish at 41 percent (27-66) for the game.
• The Knights were the more efficient connecting on 49 percent (26-53) of their attempts.
• SJC won the battle of the boards 38-30 and controlled the offensive glass for 15 rebounds that they converted into 16 points, while limiting the Knights to just five offensive rebounds.

The Bear Facts

• Megafu's double-double is the 48th of his career. His five rejections is tied for second all-time in a single game and he has now has 102 for his career, 38 behind David Louison's '15 all-time record of 140. 

Next up for St. Joseph's

The Bears will return to action on the road after the Thanksgiving break heading to Riverdale, N.Y. to face the College of Mount Saint Vincent on Monday, November 30 in a Skyline Conference doubleheader with the women. The men will cap off the twin bill with a tip-off at 7:30 p.m.