Men’s Basketball Snaps Three-Game Skid With Non-Conference Win Over New Rochelle

NEW ROCHELLE, N.Y. — In a tightly contested battle that featured 12 ties and 13 lead changes and neither team building more than a seven-point advantage, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team came away 76-75 non-conference victory over The College of New Rochelle on Sunday afternoon. Sophomore Aaron Parra's (Brooklyn, N.Y./Monsignor McClancy) paced the Bears for the second straight game with 16 points while senior Christian Giles (East Elmhurst, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) followed with 15 points and seven assists.

The Basics

• Final Score: St. Joseph's 76, New Rochelle 75
• Records:  St. Joseph's (3-9), New Rochelle (5-7)
• Location: New Rochelle, N.Y.
• Arena: CNR Wellness Center
• SJC Starters: Willis (G), Giles (G), Idyahia (G), Parra (F), Meiner (F)

Turning Point

• With neither team leading by more than five the entire second period, Dimitri Sirakis jumper put the Bears up six and after CNR responded with a basket, Sirakis followed with a three-pointer that put St. Joseph's up seven with two minutes to play, the largest separation for either squad in the game.

How it Happened

• The hosts took the early lead and look their largest lead of the game at six, 22-16, after a three-point play from Dante Pulido at the 9:34 mark.
• St. Joseph's wouldn't take the lead until Stephane Etheart's free throw at 5:26 of the first half and after the Blue Angels went back on top, the Bears closed the half on a 6-2 run to enter the lockers up by one, 37-36.
• The squads exchanged the lead eight more times in the second half and neither could build more than a five-point separation throughout. The Bears and Blue Angels matched each other from behind-the-arc draining a combined 11 trifectas in the period.
• After the hosts pulled ahead by five, 55-50, Matt McQuillen and Christian Giles drained back-to-back treys to put the SJC back on top. CNR would take the lead momentarily before Aaron Parra's pair of free throws at 6:23 put the SJC on top the rest of the way.
• With the Bears holding on to a two-point lead with three-and-a-half minutes left, a Parra jumper followed by a Sirakis jumper and trifecta powered a 7-2 spurt that brought about the largest separation of the ball game.  
• In the game's final possession, CNR had the ball and a chance to tie with a three-pointer, but Hunter Schenkel attempt fell short into the hands of Kobe Tellford who laid the ball up for two and the Blue Angels were unable to foul in the final 2.2 seconds to send the Bears to the line and the SJC walked away with a one-point victory. 

For the Bears

• Sophomore Aaron Parra paced the Bears with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting while collecting a trio of rebounds, blocks,  and steals.
• Christian Giles added 15 points and dished out a game-high seven assists. The senior also grabbed four boards and swiped two steals.
• Freshman Dimitri Sirakis came off the bench to add 11 points and matched a career high with seven boards.
• Sophomore Joseph Idyahia chipped in nine points on 3-of-6 from behind-the-arc in just 12 minutes of action.
• Freshman Kavan Meiner had eight points and eight caroms, sinking 4-of-4 from the free throw line.

Inside the Box Score

• The Bears held a slight edge in shooting, connecting on a 35 percent (23-66) overall while the hosts connected on 33 percent (20-60). SJC also controlled scoring inside the paint, 24-10.
• The Blue Angels held the lead for 1:43 longer than the Bears on top of 17:42. The contest remained tied for 6:19.
• The SJC defense forced twice as many turnovers (17-8) and held a 14-1 edge in points off turnovers.
• CNR's Hunter Schenkel led all scorers with a 26-point, 10-rebound double-double. Kobe Tellford added an 11-point, 10-rebound double-double off the bench.   

The Bear Facts

• It was the first meeting between the two schools. New Rochelle is in their inaugural season of men's basketball since going co-ed this academic year.

Next up for St. Joseph's

The Bears will return to Skyline Conference play beginning a stretch of eight straight league games on Wednesday, January 11 at the College of Mount Saint Vincent starting at 7 p.m. Live stats and video will be available on SJCBears.com.