Men's Basketball Plays Three-Game Skyline Stretch Before Finals Break

Play Video

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — As Skyline Conference play heats up, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team looks to improve upon last week's 1-2 mark (all league contests) as they ousted the College of Mount Saint Vincent on the road, but fell at The Hill Center to Yeshiva University and Mount Saint Mary College.

This week, the Bears battle SUNY Maritime College in Throggs Neck on Tuesday (Dec. 5) followed by a home matchup with Sarah Lawrence College on Thursday (Dec. 7), and they cap things off with a matinee in Patchogue taking on SJC Long Island on Saturday (Dec. 9). 

Tuesday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m.
at Maritime College

Opponent's Info: Roster | Schedule | Stats 
Coverage: Video | Live Stats

Previously:

• The Bears struggled mightily from the field in their last outing, an 83-51 home defeat to Mount Saint Mary (Dec. 2). SJC's 30.4% FG% paled in comparison to the Knights' 49.2% clip and senior Alec Willis (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Joseph by the Sea) was the only Bear in double-figures with 18 (6-10, 4-6 3FG). Mount's 16 threes over the Bears' nine and 28 points in the paint (16 for SJC) allowed them to cruise to a wire-to-wire win.
• Maritime is still looking for their first Skyline victory of the year as they moved to 0-2 in league play with a 71-59 road loss to Farmingdale in their last game (Dec. 2). Three Privateer starters reached double-digit points in defeat, highlighted by team scoring-leader Patrick MacDonald's 19 (17.8 ppg). However, limited bench production (nine points) compared to FSC's 22 from their reserves proved to be the difference. 

Keys to the Contest:

• Sophomore Dimitri Sirakis (Hollis, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) enters the week at second in the Skyline in scoring (18.7 ppg) and is averaging 18.3 points in the Bears' three victories. Last game he was held to just eight and the offense failed to find its footing throughout the night, so getting him in rhythm should be a priority. All of SJC's wins have been in come-from-behind fashion and have seen at least three players reach 10+ points, as a balanced scoring attack is necessary to leave Throggs Neck victorious.

• Getting the ball inside to the 6-foot-8 MacDonald should be the focus for Maritime, as they dominated points in the paint (60-42) in their last victory, an 89-84 non-league triumph over Mitchell (Nov. 26). The Privateers have relied heavily on their inside presence so far this season, ranking third in the Skyline in rebounding margin (3.2) and will look to maintain their glass eating against the sixth-ranked Bears (-1.1). Improvement from the stripe would aid Maritime, as they failed to shoot 70% FT in their past two losses.

 History:

• The Bears lead the all-time series 5-3 and have won three of the last four showdowns, however, the Privateers took last year's game 73-67.

Thursday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. 
vs. Sarah Lawrence

Opponent's Info: Roster | Schedule | Stats 
Coverage: Video (Play-by-Play: Michael Kerr) | Live Stats | Game Program

Previously:

• Sarah Lawrence comes into the week sitting at 1-7 overall (1-3 Skyline) and dropped their last game at Purchase 80-72 despite senior Malin Segal's game-high 24 points (8-15 3FG). After beginning the season 0-6, SLC notched a 79-73 win in their home opener over Merchant Marine (Nov. 30) as three scorers dropped 19+ led by B.J. Sanders' 21 (team-high 13.6 ppg). The Gryphons were aggressive in the victory, attempting 33 foul shots and hitting at a 72.7% rate. Before Thursday's trip to The Hill Center, they host Mount Saint Vincent on Tuesday at 8 p.m. 

Keys to the Contest:

• SLC currently sits last in the conference in three-point shooting percentage (27.7%), but have launched the most attempts from deep out of any team (184). The Bears will definitely expect many long-range bombs, yet can sag off of most shooters as only two Gryphons convert at least 30% of their treys. The Bears have erased second half deficits in all three of their wins, so establishing an early lead against the second-to-last place team is a must.

• The Gryphons struggle to keep opponents off of the backboards, entering the week 10th in the league in rebounding margin (-7.8) and they'll have their hands full containing St. Joseph's Stephane Etheart and his fifth-ranked eight rebounds per game. As a team the Bears sit third in the Skyline in boards per night (38.7), posing a challenge for SLC's front court. To power the offense, Sarah Lawrence will look to Sanders in the paint and Segal on the perimeter, as he is featured heavily in their offense leading the Skyline in 3FG attempts (74). 

History:

• The Bears won the first 13 contests in the all-time series, but Sarah Lawrence triumphed last season 78-65. However, SJC comes in 4-0 at home versus the Gryphons.

Saturday, Dec. 9 at 1 p.m. 
at SJC Long Island

Opponent's Info: Roster | Schedule | Stats 
Coverage: Video | Live stats

Previously:

• SJCLI enters the week one spot above the Bears in the Skyline standings, sitting at fourth with a 2-4 (2-1 league) record. In their most recent outing, they fell short to Old Westbury on the road, 88-79. They were paced in defeat by a top-ten scorer of their own, (ninth in Skyline) Isaiah Moore and his 16 points. Last week, they picked up two straight conference triumphs over Maritime and Sarah Lawrence. Moore notched 15 in both victories and the Golden Eagles forced both teams to commit 18+ turnovers. Prior to hosting the Bears on Saturday, they face Yeshiva on the road on Tuesday (Dec. 5) at 8 p.m.

Keys to the Contest:

• The Bears should look to catch fire from long range, as SJC Long Island features the fifth-leading shot blocker in the league, 6-foot-6 sophomore center Brad Weiss (1.5 bpg). Spreading the wealth is always important, especially for a well-balanced Bears squad, and Sirakis is tied for fourth in the league in assist rate (4 apg) at the start of the week. The offense will run through him and Willis and when they're feeling it SJCBK can be hard to stop. Screening for them and patrolling the paint will be Etheart, Kavan Meiner (Staten Island, N.Y./Susan Wagner), and off the bench Aaron Parra (Brooklyn, N.Y./Mnsgr. McClancy). The sister schools play for the fifth time as conference opponents on Saturday.

History:

• The Golden Eagles lead all-time 8-3 and have won four straight, with the Bears' last win coming in 2014.