First-Place Yeshiva Too Much For Men’s Basketball

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Despite a late-game run for the Bears, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team (9-14,7-11 Skyline) could not overcome the big lead built by Yeshiva University (16-5, 14-2 Skyline), handing the Bears a 99-84 home loss on Thursday.

Rookie Bryan Medy (Brooklyn, N.Y./Nazareth Regional) led three Bears in double figures with 25 points. The Maccabees clinched a first-round bye in the upcoming Skyline Conference Championship with their 15th straight win.

How It Happened

The Maccabees attacked the Bears from the outset, building an 11-0 advantage, backed by Ryan Turell's seven straight points in the first three minutes of play. The Bears would respond, with Bryan Medy (Brooklyn, N.Y./Nazareth Regional) erupting for 10 points right off the bench, pulling SJC even with Yeshiva at 16-16 with a three-point play at the 13:17 mark.

The Maccabees built back a double-digit lead where it would remain the rest of the game with a 24-12 run over six minutes, holding the Bears to some cold shooting that brought their field goal percentage down to 43% in the first half. Led by a trio of Ryan Turell, Simcha Halpert, and Gabriel Leifer who combined for 51 of the Maccabee 55 points, Yeshiva held a 19-point lead heading into the intermission, 55-36.

The Bears fought tooth and nail to keep the game within reach in the second. SJC went back-and-forth with the Maccabees, giving up just an 8-7 advantage in the opening five minutes of the second half, but Yeshiva would eventually pull away, building a 27-point lead, their largest in the game, with about 3:42 to play. The Bears would then go on a 20-8 run to end the game and win the second half, 48-44.

For the Bears

• Bryan Medy recorded 25 points, six boards, four assists, and three steals in 25 minutes off the bench.
• Frank Reali (Staten Island, N.Y./Susan Wagner) put up 16 points and three rebounds.
• Sebastien Etheart (Hollis, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) added 11 points, eight boards, and two assists.

Next up for the Bears

The Bears take their final road trip of the season, heading to Farmingdale State College (15-7, 13-4 Skyline) on Saturday (Feb. 9) with tipoff set for 2:30 pm (following the women's game scheduled for 12 pm). Live stats and video will be available at SJCBears.com