Men's Basketball Gets Back on Track Defeating Mount Saint Vincent At Home, Leveling League Record

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — After averaging less than 60 points in their last two games, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team found their scoring ways posting 95 points in a 95-88 triumph over the College of Mount Saint Vincent on Monday night at The Hill Center.

Senior Matt O'Neill (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) posted team highs of 28 points and eight rebounds and Michael Megafu (Jamaica, N.Y./Nazareth Regional) and Alec Willis (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) both added 18 points as the Bears split the season series and brought their Skyline record to level .500 and into a tie for sixth place.

The Basics

• Final Score: St. Joseph's 95, Mount Saint Vincent 88
• Records: St. Joseph's (11-9, 8-8 Skyline), Mount Saint Vincent (8-11, 7-7 Skyline)
• Date: February 1, 2016
• Location: Brooklyn, N.Y.
• Arena: The Hill Center
• Starters:
  • St. Joseph's: Parr (G), O'Neill (G), Willis (G), Salomons (F), Megafu (F)
  • Purchase: Regina (G), Ferebee (G), Mulligan (G), Sowah (G), Curiel (F)

Turning Point

• Down by one midway through the first half, the Bears used a 13-2 run over four minutes to build a double-digit lead and never trailed again. Matt O'Neill powered the spurt with five points and Aaron Parra came off the bench to add four more.

How it Happened

• The Dolphins took the lead early and put the Bears in a 12-5 deficit nearly six minutes in. But Nolan Parr, making his first career start, provided the spark that gave the Bears some momentum. The senior drained three trifectas over a 12-5 Bears run over two minutes that knotted the game at 17-all.
• The Bears continued the momentum aided by the deep ball, hitting nine three-pointers in the half, and seized a double-digit lead with six minutes before the break and went into the lockers up, 47-34.
• St. Joseph's wouldn't let up entering the second half and held the visitors to just one field goal over the first six minutes of play, ballooning their lead to 23 points, largest of the contest.
• But the second half would turn into a free throw shooting contest, marred by 42 combined fouls called in the stanza and both teams combining to shoot 64 shots from the charity stripe.
• The Dolphins would cut into the Bears lead as the more efficient team from the line, hitting 74 percent of their 35 attempts, and brought the lead to single digits in the final seconds, but never posed a serious comeback threat.

For the Bears

• Matt O'Neill led all scorers with 28 points, going 8-for-13 from the field and 10-for-15 from the charity stripe. He also pulled down a team-high eight rebounds, dished out five assists and swiped three steals..
• Plagued by early foul trouble, senior Michael Megafu finished with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting and secured six caroms.
• Sophomore Alec Willis netted 18 points, one shy of his career high, draining 5-of-8 from behind the arc.
• In his first career start, senior Nolan Parr scored a career-high 11 points, on a perfect 4-of-4 shooting night with three trifectas, also grabbing four rebounds and dishing out a pair of assists.
• Senior Michael Murray flirted with a double-double chipping in nine points while dishing out a career- and game-high eight assists.

For the Dolphins

• Jamir Ferebee recorded a 27-point, 10-rebound double-double to lead three Dolphins in double figures and swiped three steals.
• Mike Mulligan also finished with a double-double with 10 points and as many rebounds.
• Andrew Curiel had a near double-double with 18 points on 7-of-8 shooting with nine rebounds.

Inside the Box Score

• St. Joseph's drained 9-of-14 treys (64.3%) in the opening half and finished hitting at a 47.8 percent clip (11-23) for the contest, draining double-digit treys for the second straight game and seventh time this season.
• There were 67 combined fouls (42 in the second half) whistled on both squads, with the teams shooting 93 combined free throws (64 in the second half).
• The Bears committed a season second-worst 19 turnovers, but forced an equal amount of Dolphin miscues, and maintained a 17-11 edge in points off turnovers.
• The Dolphins commanded a 44-35 rebounding edge and converted 14 on the offensive glass into 19 second-chance points.

The Bear Facts

• With the victory and splitting the season series, the Bears move into a tie for sixth place with the Dolphins with level .500 records, but the Dolphins have two extra league games remaining on their schedule.
• St. Joseph's now sits one game behind Farmingdale in fifth place and 1.5 games behind Purchase in fourth place.
• The Bears close the gap in the all-time series to 7-3 and stop a two-game skid to the Dolphins.

Next up for St. Joseph's

The Bears will have a day off before traveling to Albany, N.Y. to face Sage College on Wednesday, February 4 looking for the season sweep. When the squads met just two weeks ago, the Bears captured a 101-85 victory. Live stats will be available on SJCBears.com.