Men's Basketball Looks To Complete Cinderella Run Facing Old Westbury for Skyline Title

Inside the Matchup

• In addition to the Skyline Men's Basketball title at stake, the winner will receive the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball National Championships. It would be the first NCAA bid in program history and the second overall for SJC Brooklyn (women's basketball, 2012).
• Dating back to the start of the conference archives in 2004, no No. 6 seed has ever advanced to the Men's Basketball Championship final and the lowest to do so was a No. 5-seeded Purchase in 2012. The lowest seed to win the title was also Purchase, capturing the crown as a No. 4 seed in 2010.
• Of the last 12 champions, 11 have been either a No. 1 or 2 seed.
• The game features a matchup of the top scoring offense in the league (SJC, 79.5 ppg) vs. the top scoring defense in the league (OW, 68.9).
• The Bears have connected at a 43.1 percent rate (3rd in Skyline) while the Panthers have held opponents to a 40.2 percent rate (1st in Skyline). But St. Joseph's who ranks 3rd in three-point FG percentage (34.1) has boosted their output to 39.1 percent over the championship draining 20 trifectas. Old Westbury ranks second-worst in the league in three-point FG percentage defense, allowing opponents to connect on 36.1 of their trey attempts.
• Both squads feature a duo of All-Conference selections led by first-team honorees Jamail Stanley and Matt O'Neill, ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the league in scoring, respectively, with Stanley taking the league's top honor as Player of the Year.
• The teams split the season series taking the matchups on their home floor. SJC shocked the Panthers in the early December meeting at The Hill Center with a 81-63 victory. OW salvaged a split of the season series with a 69-66 win in January, but the Bears were without the services of Michael Megafu, who missed three games due to injury.
• The Bears were predicted to finish in eighth in the Skyline Preseason Coaches Poll, while the Panthers were tabbed to finish second.

The Bear Facts

• After needing to wait three days after their regular season ended and needing help from Mount Saint Mary and Yeshiva to clinch the sixth-and-final playoff berth, the Bears find themselves in the title game against the regular season champions after upsets of No. 3 Farmingdale State and No. 2 Sage.
• Ranked second in the league in scoring entering the finals at 18.6 points per game and leading the top scoring offense in the league, senior Matt O'Neill was named First-Team All-Skyline. O'Neill has played all 80 minutes of the championship and his semifinal 32-point outburst currently tops the tournament. He also leads the tournament in steals (7) and three-pointers made (9).
• Also receiving All-Skyline honors as a second-team honoree is classmate Michael Megafu. The 6-foot-2 forward ranks second in the league in double-doubles (13) and rebounds (10.1) and third in blocks (1.7) and crossed 1,600 points and 1,100 rebounds in Thursday's win.
• Senior Michael Murray provides direction off the bench leading the championship with 13 assists so far, averaging 10.5 points over the last two games.
• Alec Willis also poses a deep threat recently crossing the 100-three-pointer made mark and is five away from moving into seventh all-time. The sophomore is shooting 33.3 percent (4-12) from behind-the-arc for the championship.
• Senior Jamir Archer solidifies the inside presence averaging 17.0 points and 6.0 rebounds for the tournament. The forward is the second-most efficient shooter in the league connecting on 56.7 percent of his attempts, and is shooting 58.3 percent (14-24) for the championship.

Panther Prowlings

• Old Westbury seeks their second league title, winning their lone title in 2004, and making their fourth finals appearance overall. They dropped their two previous finals appearances in 2007 and 2010, the later also as the No. 1 seed on their home floor to a No. 4 Purchase squad, the lowest seed to ever win the tournament.
• The Panthers cruised to a comfortable 22-point victory in their semifinal win over No. 4 Yeshiva on Thursday night, led by Jamail Stanley's 30-point, 13-rebound double-double and Luckens Victor and Keith Lackerson added 12 points each.
• The league's leading scorer at 22.2 points a game, Stanley, a five-time Player of the Week, was named the 2015-16 Skyline Player of the Year and a first-team All-Skyline selection. The junior guard also held ranks in steals (2nd, 3.1/gm.), rebounding (5th, 9.4/gm.), field goal percentage (7th, .546) and assists (7th, 3.1/gm.).
• Stanley is joined on the All-Skyline team by P.J. Page who is a second-team honoree and averaged 12.2 points, posing a deep threat leading the team with 38 made trifectas and a 36.9 percent clip (10th in Skyline).

The Road to the 'Ship

First Round - #6 St. Joseph's 78, #3 Farmingdale 75 (Box)

• Entering as the No. 6 seed, the Bears upended Farmingdale State, 78-75, on Tuesday night. The victory came just 10 days removed from suffering lopsided 20-point loss to the Rams on the same floor.
• In the first round win, the Bears erased a 12-point second half deficit with a barrage of nine three-pointers, after not able to make a single trey in the first half. SJC gained the lead with a 19-4 outburst powered by five treys over five minutes and trailed only momentarily after that.
• Michael Megafu led four in double figures with 20 points on 8-of-11 shooting, including two threes and grabbed six boards. Matt O'Neill played all 40 minutes and netted 18 points, draining 4-of-9 from behind the-arc, and grabbed six rebounds, dished out six assists and swiped four steals.
• Jamir Archer added 17 points and secured a team-high eight caroms. Michael Murray added 16 points off the bench, including two cruical free-throws in the bonus with 11.1 seconds left that gave the Bears a three-point cushion.

Semifinals - #6 St. Joseph's 80, #2 Sage 72 (Box)

• The Bears continued to do their work from behind-the-arc and jumped out to an early 10-point lead hitting five of their first six three pointers, but the Bears trailed by two at the break. Sage pulled ahead early again in the second before a 19-4 spurt sparked by a pair of Alec Willis trifectas, put the Bears up by double digits nearly the rest of the way finishing with 11 three-pointers in the game.
• Matt O'Neill continued his outstanding play with his second 30-point game of the season, finishing with a game-high 32 points, paired with 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season.
• Senior Michael Megafu posted 13 points and 13 rebounds for his 13th double-double of the season.
• Senior Jamir Archer dropped in 17, adding four rebounds and three blocks. Alec Willis added 10 points on 3-of-7 from deep.

The Regular Season Meetings vs. Old Westbury

December 2, 2015 - St. Joseph's 81, Old Westbury 63 - Brooklyn, N.Y. (Box)

• Matt O'Neill scored his 1,000th career point in dramatic fashion, scoring 22 of his then career-high 27 points in the second half. O'Neill scored 11 straight points to cross the milestone and fueled a 16-2 run that gave the Bears a double-digit lead with two minutes remaining and coasted to the finish.
• Michael Megafu recorded his third double-double of the season with 12 points and 15 rebounds. Justin Manon (now inactive) added 12 points and Michael Murray chipped in 10 both off the bench.
• Mark Gjonlekaj and Jamail Stanley each scored 15 points to lead the Panthers. Stanley scored pulled down seven rebounds with four blocks while Gjonlekaj had six boards and three rejections. Keith Lackerson contributed 14 points and Lylle Ryals added 10 points and seven rebounds off the bench.

January 12, 2016 - Old Westbury 69, St. Joseph's 66 - Old Westbury, N.Y. (Box)

• In a back-and-forth game that saw 21 lead changes, neither side built more than a three-point lead the whole way through, until the Panthers used an 8-0 spurt to move ahead 56-50 with nine minutes left to play. St. Joseph's pulled within one in the final minute and trailed by three with 26 seconds left, but couldn't connect on three game-tying three-point attempts at the buzzer.
• 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 with a then career-high 12 boards and dished out a game-high five assists. 
• The Bears were without Michael Megafu who missed his third game due to injury.
• Jamail Stanley led the Panthers with a game-high 31 points on an efficient 13-of-18 from the floor and had four rejections. Lylle Ryals contributed 13 points off the bench on 5-of-11 shooting.

Note for Fans Making The Trip To Old Westbury

Admission for all fans is $3. SJC Students with their SJC ID will be admitted free as will children 12 and under. Directions to the Clark Athletic Center can be found here. GPS Address (2534 Cedar Swamp Road, Brookville, NY 11545)