Slow Start Plagues Men’s Basketball in Road Loss at Farmingdale

FARMINGDALE, N.Y. — First-place Farmingdale State used a 70 percent shooting effort in the first half to race out to an early lead and earned season split with the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team with a 90-69 victory on Saturday afternoon. Sophomore Stephane Etheart (Hollis, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) led SJC with 16 points as the Bears were eliminated from playoff contention with the loss.

The Basics

• Final Score: Farmingdale State 90, St. Joseph's 69
• Records: Farmingdale State (16-7, 14-4), St. Joseph's (8-15, 7-11)
• Location: Farmingdale, N.Y. — Walter A. Lynch Sports Center
• SJC Starters: Willis (G), Sirakis (G), Etheart (F), Etheart (F), Meiner (F)

Turning Point

• A five-minute field goal drought in the first half allowed the Rams to build a 29-15 lead and the deficit remained in double digits the rest of the way.

How It Happened

• Stephane Etheart (Hollis, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) scored the first two baskets of the contest to give the Bears an early lead before the Rams responded with seven straight points and never trailed again.
• Another Etheart jumper gave him eight of SJC's first 10 points, cutting the deficit to 13-10 at the 14:12 mark. But Farmingdale pulled away as the Bears were hampered by just 25 percent shooting (9-36) in the opening 20, while the Rams connected on a blistering 70 percent (19-27) to build a 50-24 lead at the break.
• St. Joseph's outscored Farmingdale 45-40 in the second stanza led by Aaron Parra's ( / Monsignor McClancy) 11 points in the frame but the Rams led by as many as 35 before cutting into final deficit.

For the Bears

• Etheart paced the Bears with 16 points and six boards, both team highs.
• Parra add 13 points off the bench on 6-of-11 shooting, also securing a pair of caroms.
• Freshman Zach MacDonnell (Howard Beach, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) scored a career-high nine points in five minutes going 3-for-3 from the field and swiping two steals.
• Dimitri Sirakis (Hollis, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) netted eight points with a pair of dimes.

Inside the Box Score

• The Rams finished at a 55 percent connect rate (33-60) hitting on 10 triples.
• The Bears collected 16 offensive rebounds to outscore the Rams, 15-6, in second-chance scoring. Both teams finished even 40-40 in the rebounding battle.

The Bear Facts

• With the loss and the results around the league, the Bears are eliminated from Skyline Conference Championships contention for the second straight season.
• St. Joseph's has already yielded a six-win improvement over last year's 1-15 campaign with two home games left on the schedule.

Next Up for the Bears

• The Bears close out the season with a pair of home games next week. First up, a matchup against Old Westbury on Tuesday (Feb. 13) tipping off at 7 p.m. with live stats and video available on SJCBears.com.