Men’s Basketball Unable to Hand Yeshiva First League Setback

NEW YORK — Sophomore Aaron Parra (Brooklyn, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) and freshman Dimitri Sirakis (Hollis Hills, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) tallied 17 points each but the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team couldn't pick up their first league win on Tuesday night suffering an 81-65 setback to Yeshiva University in Skyline Conference action.

The Basics

• Final Score: Yeshiva 81, St. Joseph's 65
• Records: Yeshiva (5-3, 3-0), St. Joseph's (1-6, 0-3)
• Location: New York, N.Y.
• Arena: Max Stern Athletic Center
• SJC Starters: Willis (G), Sirakis (G), Giles (G), Parra (F), Meiner (F)

Turning Point

• After the Bears erased a 10-point deficit to knot the game at 44-all just four minutes into the second half, Yeshiva erupted for 24 points over the next six minutes to build a 68-49 lead St. Joseph's couldn't cut into.

How it Happened

• What appeared to be a low-scoring game through the first 15 minutes saw the squads deadlocked at 22-all, but the hosts outscored the Bears 20-7 over the final five minutes to take a 42-35 lead at the intermission.
• St. Joseph's opened the second stanza on a 9-2 spurt bookended by Aaron Parra jumpers that leveled the game at 44-all
• The hosts then used a barrage of three-pointers to pull away from the Bears draining five treys over the next six minutes—Daniel Katz knocking down three—and the Bears faced a 19-point deficit and could never recover.
• The Bears trailed by as many as 20 and made a mini run to cut the deficit to 14 with 6:22 to play, but that would be the closest they would get and both teams unloaded their benches in the final minutes.

For the Bears

• Aaron Parra shot 5-of-9 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the line en route to his fourth double-digit game. The sophomore also grabbed a game-high eight boards and added a pair of thefts and assists.
• Reigning Skyline Rookie of the Week Dimitri Sirakis continued his strong play since entering the starting lineup and improved his season high by one with 17 points. Shooting 5-of-11 with a pair of three pointers, the freshman swiped a season-best four steals and handed out two assists.
• Senior Christian Giles and freshman Anthony Iglesias added eight points each.

Inside the Box Score

• The Maccabees drained 15 three-pointers at a 52 percent (15-29) clip on their home floor. Yeshiva finished at 48 percent (25-52) shooting overall while the Bears connected at a season-worst 32 percent (20-63).
• Yeshiva was also as efficient at the charity stripe, missing just one free throw on 17 attempts.
• St. Joseph's won the rebounding battle 40-33 and pulled down 19 on the offensive end, leading second-chance scoring, 15-8.

The Bear Facts

• The Maccabees take their first win in the all-time series with the Bears sweeping both meetings last season.
• Yeshiva moves to the top of the Skyline South Division at 3-0 and is the first team to reach three league wins while extending their overall streak to four.

Next up for St. Joseph's

The Bears will take a break from Skyline action and have several days to regroup before hosting Hunter College on Monday, December 12th in the nightcap of a doubleheader with the women at The Hill Center. Tip-off is slated for 7 p.m. with live stats and video with Michael Kerr calling the action on SJCBears.com.