Men’s Basketball Holds Off St. Joseph’s (Long Island) in Narrow Victory

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Behind a game-leading 21 points from Evan Sirakis (Hollis Hills, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) and capped off by Chris Tracy's (Glendale, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) go-ahead three-pointer with seven seconds remaining, the St. Joseph's University, N.Y. (Brooklyn) men's basketball team earned a 65-64 win over St. Joseph's University, N.Y. (Long Island) on Wednesday night at The Hill Center.

Tracy joined Sirakis in double figures, scoring 12 points on 80 percent shooting from three-point range. Jonathan Reno (Staten Island, N.Y./Moore Catholic) finished with 17 points on the night.

How it Happen

The Bears (4-10, 1-4) got off to a 10-0 start behind Sirakis' hot hand. Coming off a Golden Eagle (6-7, 3-2) timeout, the visitors trimmed their deficit to one. Long Island ultimately took the lead at the 13:51 mark on Matt Hirdt's drive to the cup. SJBK came to within three, 24-21 at 8:55, while SJLI led by as many as 10 with 43 seconds remaining in the half, 40-30. The Golden Eagles took a 40-34 lead into the locker room.

Long Island reclaimed a double-figure advantage four minutes into the second stanza however it proved to be their largest lead of the contest. With a little over eight minutes on the clock, Reno hit a triple on the wing, courtesy of Justin Nazon's (Staten Island, N.Y./Susan Wagner) feed, to close the gap to two, 54-52.

Neither side led by more than a possession the rest of the way, exchanging the lead five times while drawing level twice. The visitors took a one-point lead at 57 seconds before Sirakis found an open Tracy who banked a corner three with seven seconds left on the clock, giving the navy and gray a 65-63 lead. SJLI hit a free throw at five seconds but the Bears held on to the 65-64 win as a last-second desperation heave was off the mark.

For the Bears

• Sirakis scored north of 20 for the third time this season. He was an assist short of notching a double-double and had five rebounds.

• Reno added four caroms and a pair of steals to his 17 points.

• All of Tracy's 12 points came from beyond the arc.

• Joe Sheehan (Staten Island, N.Y./Gaynor McCown) was the game's leading rebounder, attacking the glass for 17 boards. He finished with six points and a pair of assists.

• Anderson Beltre (East Elmhurst, N.Y./Holy Cross) finished with seven rebounds and six points.

Up Next

The Bears look to keep the momentum on the road against SUNY Maritime College this Saturday, January 14 at 1 p.m. Live stats and video will be available on sjbkathletics.com/live.