Men's Basketball Splits Season Series With Old Westbury as Late Rally Comes Up Short

OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. — In a game that saw 21 lead changes, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team mounted a late comeback but was unable to draw even on a last-second three-pointer, falling to Skyline Conference foe SUNY College at Old Westbury, 69-66, on Tuesday night.

The Basics

• Final Score: Old Westbury 69, St. Joseph's 66
• Records: Old Westbury (8-6, 7-2 Skyline), St. Joseph's (7-7, 5-6 Skyline)
• Date: January 12, 2016
• Location: Old Westbury, N.Y.
• Arena: Clark Athletic Center
• Starters:
  • St. Joseph's: Murray (G), O'Neill (G), Willis (G), Salomons (F), Archer (F)
  • Old Westbury: Odle (G), Stanley (G), Victor (F), Edwards (F), Page (F)

Turning Point

• Neither side was able to separate by more than three points in the second half until Old Westbury's 8-0 spurt put them up 56-50 with 8:59 left to play. St. Joseph's pulled within one in the final minute and trailed by three with 0:26 left but couldn't convert on three chances to tie on their final possession.

How it Happened

• With both sides trading baskets, the Panthers found some separation midway through the first half after Jamail Stanley connected on a layup and then sunk 1-of-2 at the line to make it 19-12.
• The Bears quickly erased the deficit, responding with eight straight points cemented by Matt O'Neill's three-pointer at the 8:45 mark that gave his side a slight 20-19 lead.
• In an openng half that saw 15 lead changes and four ties, Nolan Parr fittingly connected from downtown with four ticks remaining to knot the contest at 34-all headed into the lockers.
• The conference foes continued to jostle for position in the second half. Neither side built a lead greater than three points, until Old Westbury's 8-0 spurt provided them some breathing room at 56-50 with 8:59 left to play.
• Stanley's jumper with 2:51 remaining moved the Panthers up 67-60, but a tip-in from Jamir Archer followed by a layup from Michael Murray and another layup from O'Neill, all in a span of 1:05, made it a one-point contest with just 54 seconds on the clock.
• Kaleen Edwards' tip-in snapped the Bears' run and provided some insurance with 26 ticks left. Trailing 69-66, St. Joseph's failed to connect on three attempts from beyond to arc, with Stanley's rejecting the final attempt at the buzzer to thwart the comeback.

For the Bears

• Sophomore Alec Willis led St. Joseph's with a season-best 17 points paced by 5-of-9 shooting from deep.
• Matt O'Neill compiled his second double-double of the season, netting 16 points on three triples and staying active on the glass to secure a career-high 12 boards. The senior also dished out a game-high five assists.
• Senior Michael Murray shot 5-of-9 from the field en route to nine points while adding six rebounds, three steals and a pair of helpers.
• Senior Jamir Archer contributed eight points and six boards.

For the Panthers

• Jamail Stanley buried a game-high 31 points on an efficient 13-of-18 from the floor. The guard also stayed active on the defensive end with a game-best four rejections.
• Lylle Ryals contributed 13 points off the bench on 5-of-11 shooting.
• Luckens Victor flirted with a double-double compiling eight points and eight boards.

Inside the Box Score

• The conference showdown saw 21 lead changes and 10 ties as Old Westbury narrowly held off the Bears.
• Despite playing without Skyline leading rebounder Michael Megafu, the Bears held a slight 39-38 edge in the rebounding battle.
• St. Joseph's surrendered a 42-14 margin in points in the paint but kept pace with timely three-pointers, draining 10-of-30 attempts from deep.
• The Bears shot 43.3 percent from the field and hit seven three-pointers in the first half saw their output dwindle to 35.3 percent in the second stanza only connecting on 3-of-14 attempts from downtown.

The Bear Facts

• The Bears were without second-leading scorer and Skyline leading rebounder Michael Megafu for the third straight game, who didn't play due to an injury suffered in the Purchase game on Monday.
• St. Joseph's falls to 7-7 for the season, while their conference record dips below .500 at 5-6.
• The squads split the home-and-home series with the Bears taking the first meeting between the two squads in December, 81-63, at the Hill Center.

Next up for St. Joseph's

The Bears continue Skyline Conference play on Saturday, January 16th at Maritime (N.Y.) looking to move back above .500. Tip-off is slated for 1 p.m. with live stats available on SJCBears.com.