Melo Leads Trio in Double Figures in Men’s Basketball’s Defeat to SJC Long Island

PATCHOGUE, N.Y. — Samil Melo (Brooklyn, N.Y./Adams Street) scored a team-high 22 points, going 11-of-15 from the field, in 28 minutes of action on Wednesday night. However, the rookie's efforts weren't enough as the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team was on the wrong side of an 84-65 result against sibling rivals St. Joseph's College (Long Island).

Joining Melo in double figures for the navy and gray were Evan Sirakis (Hollis, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) – who scored 15 points while going a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe – and Chris Mikos (Freehold, N.J./St. John Vianney), who went for a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double.

How it Happened

The Bears (0-7, 0-2 Skyline) opened the game with a 4-2 edge before the Golden Eagles (3-4, 1-1 Skyline) made the next six buckets to hold an eight-point advantage, 12-4. Banking his first four jumpers, Melo narrowed the SJC Brooklyn deficit before Emmanuel Coffy (Marlboro, N.J./Marlboro) tied the game at 20 with a pair of free throws and a Mikos layup gave the Bears the lead, 22-20, with 7:26 to play. The final 6:28 of the period saw two ties and four lead changes, including a trey from Chris Tracy (Glendale, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) to tie the game at 29-all with just over two minutes left. However, the hosts went into the intermission up 33-29.

Long Island led by as many as 12 to begin the second half. Following a timeout at 15:04, the Bears brought the deficit back down to one possession, 51-49, thanks to Sirakis' outside shooting and Melo hitting shots from close range. The Bears trailed by as little as four, 59-55, in the game's final 10 minutes but the Golden Eagles pulled away and secured the 19-point triumph.

For the Bears

• Melo pulled four boards and forced a steal to go with his 22 points.

• Seven of Miko's 10 caroms came on the offensive glass.

• Sirakis was a pair of rebounds away from his first double-double as a Bear.

• Richie Simon (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) grabbed nine rebounds on the night.

Up Next

The Bears host the College of Mount Saint Vincent on Saturday, December 4 in the first of back-to-back home contests at The Hill Center. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. with live stats and video available on SJCBears.com/live.