Megafu Scores 1,500th Point, But Men's Basketball Splits Series With Second-Place Sage

ALBANY, N.Y. — Senior Michael Megafu (Jamaica, N.Y./Nazareth Regional) recorded his 1,500th career point to join the 1,500-point, 1,000-rebound club, but the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team let an early 13-point advantage slip away against Sage on Wednesday night, falling 88-77 in a Skyline Conference battle.

The Basics

• Final Score: Sage 88, St. Joseph's 77
• Records: Sage (14-7, 12-4 Skyline), St. Joseph's (11-10, 8-9 Skyline)
• Date: February 3, 2016
• Location: Albany, N.Y.
• Arena: Kahl Gym
• Starters:
  • St. Joseph's: Parr (G), O'Neill (G), Willis (G), Archer (F), Megafu (F)
  • Sage: Robinson (G), McCray (G), Patterson (G), Gill (F), Ford (F)

Turning Point

• The Bears were within striking distance trailing 56-50 following Michael Murray's jumper with 11:28 remaining. But, coming off the bench, Brett Ullman drained three triples in a 2:24 span to power a 10-0 run and the Gators would lead by double-digits the rest of the way.

How it Happened

• Trailing 10-9, the Bears scored 14 unanswered points with Alec Willis contributing five points to the spurt to move up 23-10 midway through the first half.
• Sage closed out the final 5:33 of the half, erasing a double-digit deficit to enter the break on the Bears' heels down just one, 36-35.
• The Gators opened scoring in the second to quickly reclaim the lead. Their advantage steadily grew, reaching 16, 66-50, by the 8:40 mark following Brett Ullman's triple.
• Megafu would score his milestone point at 6:22 of the period as the Bears tried to cut the deficit to single digits.
• A 5-0 spurt following Christian Giles' three-pointer and Jamie Archer's layup made it 79-69 with 2:26 remaining, but the Bears would be unable to draw any closer as Sage maintained their distance to split the season series.

For the Bears

• Michael Megafu led St. Joseph's with 16 points, reaching the 1,500-point club in the process. The senior also secured a team-high eight caroms and dished out a pair of assists.
• Christian Giles provided a spark off the bench with 14, his most in a Bears uniform. The junior transfer connected on 4-of-7 from downtown.
• Senior Matt O'Neill recorded 12 points, six boards and five helpers in another versatile performance.
• Senior Jamir Archer and sophomore Alex Willis rounded out five in double figures with 11 and 10 points respectively.
• Senior Michael Murray chipped in seven off the bench, also adding three assists and four thefts.

For the Gators

• Jordan McCray led all scorers with 20 points on 8-of-17 from the field, including a pair from downtown. Now with 99 career triples, McCray became the program's all-time career three-point leader.
• Melvin Ford compiled a double-double with a 15-point, 12-rebound effort.
• Marcus Patterson and Andre Robinson netted 14 apiece, while Patterson narrowly missed a double-double with nine boards.

Inside the Box Score

• Sage burned the Bears from beyond the arc, nailing 12-of-20 for a 60.0 percent connect-rate.
• The Gators also held an advantage from the free-throw line, making 18-of-26 to double St. Joseph's output (9-of-12).
• Sage controlled the boards as well, outrebounding the Bears 46-32 and converting that into a 25-10 second-chance scoring advantage.

The Bear Facts

• Despite the loss and dipping below .500 in league-play at 8-9, the Bears took over solo sixth in the sixth and final playoff spot with a slight edge over Mount Saint Vincent and St. Joseph's-Long Island tied with 7-8 records through Wednesday's games.
• Megafu's 1,501 points ranks 17th in the Division III active scoring list. Megafu joins the 1,500-point, 1,000-rebound club after securing his 1,000th career board on January 18 in a victory at Medgar Evers.

Next up for St. Joseph's

The Bears wrap up a three-game week headed to third place Yeshiva University on Saturday, February 6 looking to sweep the season series after an 85-68 victory at The Hill Center in December. Tip-off is slated for 8:30 p.m. at the Max Stern Athletic Center with live stats and video available on SJCBears.com.