Mikos Erupts for 49, Sirakis Totals 21 in Men’s Basketball’s Shootout Defeat to Hunter

NEW YORK, N.Y. — In a back-and-forth barnburner, Chris Mikos (Freehold, N.J./St. John Vianney) poured in a season-best 49 points and collected 11 rebounds while Evan Sirakis (Hollis Hills, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) matched his 21-point career-high as the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team lost a 113-104 shootout to CUNYAC foe Hunter College on Monday night from the Hunter Sportsplex.

Mikos' 49 points are tied for fifth in Division III for most points in a single game. His point total is also the most by a player in Joseph Cocozello's 19-year coaching tenure at SJC.

How it Happened

The Bears (3-18) got out in front to begin the contest before the lead exchanged hands within three minutes. It was the first of eight lead changes in the opening 20 minutes, adding on to six ties. Mikos' tip-in at 9:52 gave the Bears a 30-28 edge, holding on to the advantage throughout the rest of the period. A minute later, Sirakis' layup on a Hawks (10-11) turnover in the paint began a 14-0 run to give the navy and gray their largest lead of the game, 46-31. However, by the end of the half, Hunter brought their deficit down to single digits, 61-52.

Six-straight points by the hosts to start the second stanza saw the Bears' lead dwindle down to three. A triple with 17:16 knotted the game at 63-all before the advantage shifted in Hunter's favor on another three-ball at the 16:32 mark, 66-65. There would be 10 more lead changes over the next 10 minutes with neither side leading by more than three at any given point during the stretch.

Casey Meyers' trey, following a pair of Sirakis free throws, gave the Hawks a slight 91-92 edge with 6:42 left in the period. Hunter held on to the lead for the remainder of the contest, possessing a 106-92 margin with just under three minutes left. The Bears crossed the 100-point threshold on a Mikos free throw with 60 seconds on the clock before ultimately falling by nine, 113-104.

For the Bears

• To go with his 49 points and 11 rebounds, Mikos registered seven distributions and forced three steals.

• Sirakis joined Mikos in dishing out seven dimes while pulling down four boards and three takeaways.

• Richie Simon (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) recorded double-digit rebounds for the first time in seven outings, finishing with 12. He also had six points and a pair of steals.

• Chris Williams (Trenton, N.J./Nottingham) logged nine points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

• Joe Sheehan(Staten Island, N.Y./Gaynor McCown) grabbed eight boards, scored four points, swatted away three shots, and handed out as many assists

• Samil Melo (Brooklyn, N.Y./Adams Street) totaled six points and as many boards while forcing a pair of steals and blocks.

• The Bears crack the century mark for the first time since doing so in back-to-back games in the 2018-19 season.

Up Next

SJC resumes Skyline play as they visit the College of Mount Saint Vincent on Wednesday, February 9 at 7 p.m. Live stats and video will be available on sjcbears.com/live.