Men’s Basketball Quartet Finish in Double Figures in Narrow Defeat to Mitchell

WILLIMANTIC, CONN. — Chris Mikos (Freehold, N.J./St. John Vianney) was one of four Bears (0-2) to score in double figures, dropping 29 points on 16 rebounds but the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team was unable to overcome Mitchell College (1-2), falling 81-78 on Saturday afternoon in the consolation game of the Eastern Connecticut State Tip-Off Tournament.

How it Happened

The Mariners held on to a slim 9-8 edge in the early stages of the contest. Mikos and Joe Sheehan (Staten Island, N.Y./Gaynor McCown) paced the Bears to an eight-point advantage, the largest of the game, with eight minutes to play in the first half, 25-17. With 66 seconds left in the period, Mitchell came to within a point, 31-30, but SJC took their 35-32 lead into the break.

The Bears went back and forth with the Mariners for much of the second stanza while holding on to their lead for much of the period as Mikos, Evan Sirakis (Hollis, N.Y./St. Francis Prep), and James Mojica (South Ozone Park, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) combined to go 14-24 from the field. 

Mitchell's Jalen Benson banked a pair of free throws with 6:35 on the clock to take a lead that they ultimately never surrendered, 63-61. However, the Bears trailed by as little as one with six seconds remaining in regulation; thanks to a Sirakis three-pointer to make it 79-78 before Alfonso Stokes' shots from the line with two seconds to go gave the Mariners third place at the ECSU Tournament.

For the Bears

• Mikos' led all players in points for the second-straight game while his 16 boards were also a game-high. The senior also distributed six assists.

• Sirakis scored 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting and registered three assists and a steal.

• Mojica and Sheehan each went for 10 points and 6 rebounds. Mojica dished out a pair of assists while Sheehan picked up an assist and a block.

Up Next

The Bears return to Brooklyn on Thursday, November 18 as they begin their Skyline Conference slate against nationally-ranked Yeshiva University in their home opener. Tipoff from The Hill Center is scheduled for 7 pm with live stats and video available on SJCBears.com/live.