Men’s Basketball Ready for One-Game Week Hosting Maritime

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Following a 1-1 week featuring two Skyline opponents, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team looks ahead to SUNY Maritime College on Tuesday (Jan. 16) night at The Hill Center. The 7-9 (6-5 Skyline) Bears currently sit at fifth place in the league and recently picked up back-to-back conference victories over SJC Long Island (Jan. 6) and Sarah Lawrence (Jan. 10).

Tuesday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m.
vs. Maritime

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

Previously

• SJC's last win came on the road against Sarah Lawrence in a game that saw the Gryphons mount a ferocious comeback late. However, sophomore Sebastien Etheart (Hollis, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) led the Bears with a game-high 14 points, complemented by seven rebounds, three blocks, and two assists. His brother, Stephane Etheart (Hollis, N.Y./St. Francis), was right behind him totaling 13 points, nine boards, and four steals in just 15 minutes. Three days later (Jan. 13), St. Joseph's dropped their second-straight away game at Old Westbury (74-63), despite a 20-point, 15-rebound double-double from St. Etheart.
• Maritime comes in hoping to bounce back from a 1-2 Skyline week featuring a win over Merchant Marine (86-81) on Monday (Jan. 8) in Throggs Neck. The victory was followed by back-to-back losses, as the Privateers fell at home to Mount Saint Vincent (Jan. 10) and lost a close 85-82 overtime game to Sarah Lawrence on the road. Despite the negative record, senior big man Patrick MacDonald put up three double-doubles averaging 20 points and 13.3 rebounds per game en route to Skyline Player of the Week honors (Jan. 15).

Keys to the Contest

• The Bears' offense boasts one of the Skyline's top-five scorers in sophomore guard Dimitri Sirakis (Hollis, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) and his 15.4 points a night. It is essential that Sirakis and backcourt mate Matt McQuillen (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) find their touch from deep, as them and Se. Etheart combined to shoot 3-23 from three in the loss to Old Westbury. A collective effort from beyond the arc could give the Bears the edge over Maritime, with the Privateers being one of three teams in the league hitting less than 30% of their three-pointers (28.5%).
• On the visitors' side, Maritime is spearheaded by MacDonald's 18.9 points per game, good for second in the conference. Not only does the senior accel at getting buckets, but MacDonald is also the only player in the Skyline averaging double-digit rebounds (or a double-double) with 12.2 boards per contest. In fact, he has racked up 10-straight double-doubles while recording 12 on the season. When these teams met on Dec. 5, MacDonald dominated to the tune of 26 points (11-15 FG, 4-6 FT) and 17 rebounds to give his team a 63-54 triumph. Besides their star post player, the Privateers look to Brendan McGovern (13.1 ppg) to contribute as he leads a slew of four other players averaging double-figures.

History

• The Bears lead the all-time series 5-4, but Maritime has won two-straight following their Dec. 5 victory.