Archer Nets Career-High 21 But Men's Basketball Can't Hold Off Rams

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Despite a career-high 21 points from Jamir Archer (Staten Island, N.Y./CSI/McGown) and 20 points from Matt O'Neill (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep), the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team couldn't hold off a late surge from Farmingdale State dropping a 105-101 Skyline Conference decision in overtime on Thursday night.

The Basics

• Final Score: Farmingdale St. 105, St. Joseph's 101
• Records:  Farmingdale St. (2-6, 2-2 Skyline), St. Joseph's (4-4, 3-3 Skyline)
• Date: December 10, 2015
• Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Arena: The Hill Center
• Starters:
  • St. Joseph's: Murray (G), O'Neill (G), Willis (G), Archer (F), Megafu (F)
  • Farmingdale St.: Monaghan (G), Kinloch (G), Kinard (G), Riefenstahl (F), Irvine (F)

Turning Point

• Farmingdale State erased a six-point deficit and forced overtime, using back-to-back game-tying three pointers with under a minute in regulation. In the extra period, the Rams used the deep ball to build a four-point lead and never trailed.

How it Happened

• The Bears jumped out to a 14-6 lead to open the game, their largest lead of the half, but the Rams responded with 12 unanswered to build their largest lead of the frame.
• Both teams remained tight with St. Joseph's regaining the lead and pulled ahead by five with two minutes before the intermission and carried a 42-40 lead into the lockers.
• St. Joseph's came out of the break on a 10-2 run, powered by five points from Jamir Archer—setting a new career-high just one minute into the half—and built the first double-digit lead of the game.
• But the Rams used a quick 7-0 spurt powered by a pair of three-balls from Brandon Herriot to cut the lead to one with 11:28 to play.
• The Bears would pull away again, using a trio of trifectas, first from Justin Manon and a pair from Joseph Idyahia to move ahead 72-64, but the Rams would counter with an 8-0 run of their own to draw even at 72-72 with 8:38 remaining.
• With the Bears leading by three in the final minute of regulation, a three-pointer from Trey Kinard knotted the game at 88-all. On the Bears next possession, Alec Willis drained a right corner three to put the Bears up 91-88 with 0:15 left before Kinard sank another triple with 0:07 that forced overtime. Willis had a look at a 19-footer at the buzzer for the win that fell short.
• In the extra period, the SJC took a brief lead on an O'Neill layup but the Rams scored six straight and never trailed again. The Bears managed to cut the deficit to one on two occasions, but the visitors responded with a pair of trifectas to maintain their separation.

For the Bears

• Jamir Archer scored a career-high 21 points on an efficient 8-for-11 shooting night with eight rebounds. The senior also shot 10-of-12 from the charity stripe.
• Michael Megafu logged his sixth double-double of the season, with 16 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. He also had three assists and two blocks and two steals.
• Matt O'Neill netted 20 points and dished out eight assists. The senior also grabbed five boards and swiped four steals before fouling out.
• Michael Murray rounded out four in double figures with 12 points.

For the Rams

• Trey Kinard led all scorers with 25 points and 10-of-20 shooting.
• Brandon Herriot added 22 points on 8-of-12 shooting.
• Matthew Graham recorded a 10-point, 13-assist double-double.
• Six Rams finished in double figures.

Inside the Box Score

• Archer set his new career high in 21 minutes, scoring the first four points of the second half.
• Both squads combined to connect on 26 three-pointers. The visitors connected at a 50 percent rate (14-28) while the Bears hit at 43 percent (12-28).
• Farmingdale State shot 61 percent (22-36) in the second half and overtime to overcome a 10-point deficit.
• The game had 10 ties and nine lead changes with the Bears holding the lead for 27 minutes and the game tied for 5:28.

The Bear Facts

• It was the first meeting between the two programs. The squads will meet again on February 13, 2016 in Farmingdale, wrapping up the home-and-home series. 
• The last time both the Bears and their opponent crossed the century mark was a 103-102 Bears win over Staten Island in February 2011.

Next up for St. Joseph's

The Bears return home to The Hill Center on Monday, December 14 hosting Yeshiva University. The men will lead a Skyline doubleheader with the women starting at 5:30 p.m. Live stats and video will be available on SJCBears.com