Men’s Basketball Snaps Losing Streak in Thriller Over Old Westbury

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BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Behind Sebastien Etheart's big double-double and clutch free-throws from brother Stephane Etheart, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team downed Old Westbury in a closely contested matchup Tuesday night. The Bears split the season series with the Panthers and picked up their eighth league win of the season, however they were eliminated from playoff contention last week.

The Basics

• Final Score: St. Joseph's 64, Old Westbury 63
• Records: St. Joseph's (9-15, 8-11), Old Westbury (11-13, 10-9)
• Location: Brooklyn, N.Y. — The Hill Center
• SJC Starters: Willis (G), Sirakis (G), Etheart (F), Etheart (F), Meiner (F)

How It Happened

• After going up 5-4, the Bears surrendered a 15-4 run that allowed the Panthers to lead 19-9 (13:25). A 16-6 run, led by two Matt McQuillen treys, knotted the game at 25.
• Sophomore guard Dimitri Sirakis knocked down a three-pointer with one minute remaining for a slim 28-25 lead, but the Panthers would answer with back-to-back buckets from downtown retaining control and entering the break ahead 31-28.
• Seven unanswered points early in the second half from senior captain Alec Willis gave St. Joseph's their largest lead of the game, 43-36 (14:24). However, the Panthers crawled back to tie and soon took the advantage, 51-48 (8:17), following a 15-5 spurt.
• Both teams traded baskets in the final minutes of play, but OW led by two (61-59) with less than two minutes remaining. Willis was fouled during a three-point attempt (0:39) and played hero again, netting all three of his freebies to take a one-point lead (62-61).
• After SJC gained a two-point margin by way of the charity stripe, the Panthers responded with a clutch layup that evened the game, 63-63, with 10 seconds on the clock.
• On the Bears ensuing possession, Sebastien dribbled from the backcourt all the way to the lane and found his brother cutting and was fouled during a layup attempt with 1.6 seconds to go. He made his first, while intentionally missing the second to secure the victory and push the Bears' record to 5-4 at The Hill Center.

For the Bears

• Sebastien had a game-high tying 16 points (6-12 FG) and 15 boards for his fifth double-double of the season.
• Willis netted 16 as well (5-10 FG, 5-5 FT), on top of three assists and a steal. 14 of his points came in the second half.
• Stephane was the final Bear in double-figures with 12 points along with nine caroms.
• McQuillen (7) and junior big man Aaron Parra (6) combined for all 13 of SJC's bench points.

Inside the Box Score

• St. Joseph's was outshot from the field (40%-36.1%) and deep (33.3%-25%) despite holding for victory.
• The low post was very evenly matched as the Bears held the edge in rebounding (41-39) and second-chance points (11-9) by slim margins while the paint points were even at 22.

The Bear Facts

• Sebastien dropped 10+ for the eighth time this year, while Stephane scored in double-digits for the 12th-straight game.
• SJC snapped a five-game losing streak to OW and improved to 2-5 in the all-time series.

Next Up for the Bears

• Senior Night for captain Alec Willis and the 2017-18 finale hosting U.S. Merchant Marine Academy on Thursday (Feb. 15) at 7 p.m. Live stats and video at SJCBears.com.