Upset-Minded Men’s Basketball Falls to USMMA

KINGS POINT, N.Y. — Chris Mikos (Freehold, N.J./St. John Vianney) finished with a game-high 22 points and 14 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season as the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team were able to battle back from a pair of double-digit deficits, coming within as little as one against the United States Merchant Marine Academy on Wednesday night. However, the Skyline North Division-leading Mariners (10-6, 7-2 Skyline) were able to stave off the Bears' (2-15, 1-8 Skyline) upset bid, 73-57.

How it Happened

After the Mariners got on the board to begin the contest, Evan Sirakis (Hollis Hills, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) scored the next five unanswered; giving the Bears an early 5-2 edge. A pair of Blaine McDonough treys swung the lead back in USMMA's favor. Kings Point led by no more than eight in the period as SJC kept within close range thanks to their 40.7% field-goal percentage compared to the Mariners' 36.4% mark. The Bears kept the hosts off the board over a two-minute span with 6:40 left in the half, scoring six points – courtesy of Mikos and Joseph Ghotra (Brooklyn, N.Y./New Hyde Park Memorial) – in that span to trim the deficit to one, 24-23. The Mariners, however, went into the half with a 32-25 advantage.

McDonough, USMMA's leading scorer on the night, gave the hosts the double-figure lead on a three-pointer to open the second period; growing to 14 with 14:17 on the clock. The Bears closed the gap to 48-45 behind an 8-0 run, spearheaded by an Anderson Beltre (East Elmhurst, N.Y./Holy Cross) triple, with over 11 minutes on the clock. The Mariners once again took a double-figure lead to break the contest open; outscoring SJC 21-5 in the final 5:13 to win their fourth consecutive game.

For the Bears

• Mikos shot 8-of-12 from the floor and 6-of-8 from the free-throw line and added a game-high six assists.

• Beltre shot a perfect 4-for-4 from the stripe as he finished with nine points, a rebound, and a block.

• Sirakis totaled seven points with a pair of boards and as many assists.

• Chris Williams (Trenton, N.J./Nottingham) recorded six points with two assists and a rebound.

• Samil Melo (Brooklyn, N.Y./Adams Street) and James Mojica (South Ozone Park, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) combined for seven points while the pair, along with Richie Simon (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep), each collected three caroms.

Up Next

The Bears visit Purchase College on Saturday, January 29 in the rubber match of their current three-game road trip. Tipoff is slated for noon with live stats and video available on sjcbears.com/live. Fans will not be permitted at the game.