Archer's Career-High and O'Neill's Strong Second Half Lifts Men's Basketball Past Maritime

THROGGS NECK, N.Y. — Led by senior Matt O'Neill's (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) 25 points and senior Jamir Archer's (Staten Island, N.Y./CSI/McCown) career-high 22, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team closed strong to earn an 80-69 Skyline Conference victory over Maritime College on Saturday afternoon, moving back above .500 for the season (8-7) and leveling their conference record (6-6).

The Basics

• Final Score: St. Joseph's 80, Maritime 69
• Records: St. Joseph's (8-7, 6-6 Skyline), Maritime (2-12, 2-7 Skyline)
• Date: January 16, 2016
• Location: Old Westbury, N.Y.
• Arena: Reisenberg Gymnasium
  • Starters:
  • St. Joseph's: Murray (G), O'Neill (G), Willis (G), Megafu (F), Archer (F)
  • Maritime: Hoch (G), Halligan (G), Liccese (G), Hayes (F), MacDonald (F)

Turning Point

• Brendan Halligan's layup with just 3:13 remaining brought Maritime within one point, 68-67. But Alex Willis answered back with a three-pointer, Jamir Archer connected on a layup and Matt O'Neill drained three consecutive free throws to cap a quick 8-0 run, giving St. Joseph's a commanding 76-67 advantage with just 1:01 to play.

How it Happened

• Returning after missing three games due to injury, Michael Megafu opened scoring with a three-pointer just seven seconds into play.
• After trading baskets for much of the first half, the Bears used a 5-0 spurt at the 7:17 mark to move up 27-21, their biggest lead thus far.
• Maritime stormed back with an 11-3 spurt to close the half and the sides entered the break knotted at 38-all.
• The Privateers kept the momentum into the second stanza, opening a 51-45 advantage with 14:55 remaining following Isaiah Hayes' triple.
• St. Joseph's battled back though, snatching the lead back less than eight minutes later after Matt O'Neill's layup made it 59-58.
• Michael Walker responded from downtown to move Maritime back on top, and Hayes' layup made it 63-59 Privateers with just 6:10 left to play.
• But St. Joseph's bore down in crunch time, boasting a 21-6 advantage the rest of the way to secure victory.

For the Bears

• Matt O'Neill led all scorers with 25 points. The senior also matched his career-high with 12 boards, a mark he set just one game prior at Old Westbury on Tuesday. He added five assists and a game-high six thefts.
• Jamir Archer dropped a career-best 22 points on an efficient 10-of-13 shooting performance. The senior also corralled eight rebounds.
• Senior Michael Murray netted 13 for the second consecutive game, adding two assists and a steal.
• Returning after missing three games due to injury, senior Michael Megafu contributed a seven-point, 11-rebound effort.
• Sophomore Alec Willis connected twice from downtown en route to eight points.

For the Privateers

• John Liccese led five players in double figures with 16 points and a team-high six helpers.
• Patrick MacDonald scored 14 and brought down a game-best 14 rebounds for the double-double.
• Akil Spruill chipped in 12 points off the bench on 5-of-11 shooting.

Inside the Box Score

• The Privateers shot 44.6% (29-65) from the floor to barely edge the Bears' 42.4% (28-66).
• St. Joseph's fell cold from deep, connected on just 4-of-18 (22.2%), while Maritime connected on 10-of-26 (38.5%).
• The Bears held an overwhelming advantage from the line, finishing 20-of-33 (60.6%) as opposed to just one free throw made for the Privateers. St. Joseph's sunk 12 from the stripe in the second period, seven from O'Neill.
• O'Neill led all scorers in the closing 20, netting 17 of his game-high 25 in the second stanza, outpacing Maritime's high scorer for the game. 
• The Bears' stout defense forced 20 turnovers and they converted those miscues into 20 points.

The Bear Facts

• With the victory, St. Joseph's prevents falling below .500 for the first time this season and levels their conference record at 6-6. The Bears currently sit in seventh place but are just a half-game behind fifth.
• St. Joseph's improves to 4-2 in the all-time series and winners of two straight.
• The Bears will close out their regular season with a rematch against the Privateers at The Hill Center on February 17.
• Michael Megafu currently sits two boards shy joining the 1,000-point, 1,000-rebound club. The senior currently sits at 1,400 points for his career.

Next up for St. Joseph's

The Bears will take a short break from Skyline Conference play facing borough foes Medgar Evers College on in a Martin Luther King Day matinee on Monday, January 18 at the Cougars Cave tipping off at 3 p.m.