Four Double-Digit Scorers Not Enough as Men’s Basketball Drops Battle with Purchase

BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Four Bears scored in double-digits but it was not enough to sweep the season series for the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team (7-13, 6-10 Skyline) as they dropped a close one, 76-70, to Purchase College (10-9, 9-6 Skyline) at home on Tuesday night.

How it Happened
St. Joseph's would grab an early 8-3 lead, sparked by a Sebastien Etheart (Hollis, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) three-point field goal, but Purchase would quickly play themselves back into the contest.

PC broke out with an 8-0 run after playing to three ties with the Bears in the first ten minutes of the first half. SJC would go scoreless for just around four minutes until Kavan Meiner (Staten Island, N.Y./Susan Wagner) and Dimitri Sirakis (Hollis, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) knocked down back-to-back threes. That sequence would cut the Purchase lead to 25-24 with just 4:24 left before the intermission.

Back and forth three-pointers by Sirakis and Purchase's Jorge Perdomo led to a final minute of back to back free throw shooting with both teams over the foul limits. The Panthers would end the half with a 35-30 advantage after outshooting the Bears 36.1-31.3 percent from the floor.

The Bears opened up the second half playing behind but slowly closing in on their six-point lead. The Panthers would turn on their press about three minutes into the half and the Bears would answer immediately, breaking the press as Meiner whipped a pass from the post to Etheart for a three-pointer to cut the Purchase lead to just 42-29. After a brief back-and-forth scoring exchange, Etheart would find Matt McQuillan (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) for a corner three to tie the game 44-all.

The Bears would get a stop on the other end, and come right back with a floater from just outside the paint by Sirakis to take their first lead of the half. This sequence would be the start of 26-11 run that would dominate the beginning of the second half, giving the Bears a 56-48 lead with just under 10 minutes in the half.

The Panthers would answer back with a 28-14 run behind Willie Britton's 11 points in that stretch, to finish the game. They went on to split the season series following tonight's victory.

For the Bears

• Frank Reali scored led the four Bears in double-digits with 16 points on the game.
• Sebastien Etheart recorded a double-double with 15 points and 18 boards, also adding four assists and three steals to his stat line.
• Kavan Meiner put up 14 points and grabbed four rebounds while Dimitri Sirakis added 10 points and six rebounds.

Next Up For the Bears
The Bears will find themselves in enemy territory as they travel to Kings Point, N.Y. for a road matchup with Merchant Marine in the second game of a basketball doubleheader on Thursday (Jan. 31) with live stats and video available at SJCBears.com.