Megafu Joins 1,000/1,000 Club, O'Neill Nets 25 As Men's Basketball Bests Borough Rivals Medgar Evers

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Senior Michael Megafu (Jamaica, N.Y./Nazareth Regional) collected his 1,000th career rebound in leading the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team to their second consecutive victory in a 95-83 road defeat of Medgar Evers College on Martin Luther King Day.

The Basics

• Final Score: St. Joseph's 93, Medgar Evers 85
• Records: St. Joseph's (9-7), Medgar Evers (7-10)
• Date: January 18, 2016
• Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Arena: The Cougar Cave
• Starters:
  • St. Joseph's: Murray (G), O'Neill (G), Willis (G), Megafu (F), Archer (F)
  • Medgar Evers: Swaby II (G), Segura (G), Sutton (G), Coston (F), Bayley-Hay (F)

Turning Point

• Josh Manners' three-pointer with 8:09 remaining cut a previous 10-point deficit in half and brought the Cougars within striking distance at 71-66. But Michael Megafu's layup with just 5:23 remaining capped the Bears' quick 7-0 response as they reclaimed a comfortable 78-66 advantage and coasted the rest of the way.

How it Happened

• Matt O'Neill's layup less than three minutes into play closed out an 8-0 spurt by the Bears, giving them an early 11-2 advantage.
• By the 13:40 mark of the first, Medgar Evers had regained the lead after Zavier Coston's layup put his side up 15-14.
• After back-and-forth play, St. Joseph's secured the last four points of the period to enter the break with a 43-34 lead and momentum going into the final half.
• At the 17:22 mark of the second stanza, Jamir Archer drained a jumper to put the Bears up 52-41, their first double-digit advantage.
• The Cougars responded with two consecutive triples in the span of 29 seconds to cut the lead in half.
• Less than four minutes later, St. Joseph's had regained their double-digit lead after Joseph Idyahia jumper made it 66-56 with 12:46 remaining.
• A resilient Medgar Evers side would draw within five once again, but the Bears retained the lead the rest of the way, eventually finishing off the Cougars 93-85.

For the Bears

• For the second consecutive game, Matt O'Neill led all scorers with 25 points. The senior is averaging 25.5 points in his last four contests. He also flirted with his third straight double-double, collecting nine boards on top of game highs in assists (6) and steals (6).
• En route to joining the exclusive 1,000-point, 1,000 rebound club, senior Michael Megafu compiled his ninth double-double of the season, finishing with 13 points and 11 boards.
• Jamir Archer netted 16 on 7-of-15 shooting. The senior also collected seven rebounds and dished out three assists.
• Sharpshooter Alec Willis added 15 points on 4-of-7 shooting from long range. The sophomore also secured a season-high seven rebounds.

For the Cougars

• Connecting five times from downtown, Maurice Swaby II led his team with a 25-point effort.
• Justin Sutton added 17 on 7-of-13 shooting in addition to three helpers and a pair of boards.
• Markus Kearney Jr. contributed a double-double effort of the bench, finishing with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Inside the Box Score

• The efficient Bears shot 49.3 percent (34-69) from the field and 52.2 percent (12-23) from three-point range, leading to their third highest offensive output of the season.
• Led by Megafu, St. Joseph's outrebounded the Cougars 52-37.
• Medgar Evers managed to stay within striking distance, but never managed a lead greater than one point and never led in the second half.

The Bear Facts

• In the first half, Michael Megafu secured his 1,000th career rebound to join the elusive 1,000-point, 1,000-rebound club. The senior leads all Division III active players with 1,009 career rebounds and ranks 15th with 1,413 career points.
• In their first non-conference affair in five games, St. Joseph's moves to 3-1 in non-conference affairs, 2-0 against CUNYAC foes and improves their overall record to 9-7
• Winners of three consecutive against their Brooklyn rivals, the Bears level the all-time series with the Cougars at 6-6.
• The Bears will conclude their non-conference slate against another borough CUNYAC rival, Brooklyn College, on Tuesday, February 9th at The Hill Center.

Next up for St. Joseph's

The Bears will turn their focus to a crucial stretch of six consecutive Skyline Conference games hosting preseason favorite and second place Sage Colleges at The Hill Center on Wednesday, January 20th. Tip off for the nightcap of a doubleheader with the women is set for 7:30 p.m. with live stats and video will be available at SJCBears.com.