Men's Basketball Tames Medgar Evers in Season-Opening Overtime Winner

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Evan Sirakis (Hollis Hills, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) erupted for 31 points and 10 rebounds to guide the St. Joseph's University, NY (Brooklyn) men's basketball team to an 89-86 overtime win over Medgar Evers College to begin the 2022-23 season on Thursday night. Rookie Adam Jasaraj (Staten Island, N.Y./Susan Wagner) also logged a double-double in his debut, dropping 15 points and collecting a team-leading 16 caroms.

How it Happened

A brief 4-0 deficit was quickly overturned by Sirakis, who scored the first five points for the Bears (1-0). Following a Cougar (0-2) layup, SJBK went on a 14-0 run which was highlighted by treys from Sirakis and Jonathan Reno (Staten Island, N.Y./Moore Catholic). With the Bears leading 25-11 at the 10:37 point of the first half, Medgar Evers banked four three-pointers as part of a 15-0 run to regain the lead. The hosts held on to the advantage for the remainder of the half, possessing a 39-29 lead at the break.

Trailing by as many as 15 in the early stages of the second stanza, the navy and gray slowly clawed their way back into the contest, cutting the deficit to five, 56-51, with a little over 11 minutes in regulation. Reno's triple brought the score to 58-54 but the Cougars gave themselves a nine-point cushion thanks to buckets from distance, 66-57. A three-pointer from Chris Williams (Trenton, N.J./Nottingham) brought the Bears to within one, 68-67, before he drove into the paint to give them the lead. The final three minutes saw St. Joseph's lead by as many as four, 75-71, but the period ended at a stalemate, 76-76.

A combined 23 points were scored in the bonus session. A Medgar Evers triple was countered by a Williams trey. It was back and forth throughout overtime with Williams finding the hole with 14.8 left on the clock to give the Bears the lead, 87-86, before a couple of foul shots from Sirakis sealed the victory.

For the Bears

• Sirakis' 31 points are a career-high. He was also efficient from the charity stripe, going 12-of-15.
• Williams went 6-of-7 from the field, dropping 16 points off the bench. The sophomore also had six rebounds.
• Reno rounded out the SJBK quartet in double figures, scoring 16 points.
• Anderson Beltre (East Elmhurst, N.Y./Holy Cross) scored six points and collected four boards while James Mojica (South Ozone Park, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) had five points on the night.
• The win marks the start of Joseph Cocozello's 20th season at the helm of the men's basketball program.

Up Next

The Bears continue their four-game stretch away from home with their Skyline opener against Yeshiva University on Wednesday, November 16 at 8 p.m. Live stats and video wil be available on sjbkathletics.com/live.