Mikos' 30-Point Effort Powers Men's Basketball Past Keystone For Third-Place Finish at York Invitational

JAMAICA, N.Y. —  Following up on his first career triple-double in yesterday's opener, senior Chris Mikos (Freehold, N.J./St. John Vianney) posted a career-high 30 points to lead the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team to an 80-74 triumph over Keystone College in the consolation game of the 2021 York College Invitational on Sunday afternoon.

For his efforts averaging 26.5 points, 10.5 rebounds, and 7.0 rebounds over the weekend, Mikos was named to the All-Tournament Team.

How it Happened

In a closely contested game that featured 11 ties and 14 lead changes, the Bears (1-10) led for a good portion of the opening 10 minutes but couldn't separate by more than three points. After a Mikos three-point play put the Bears back on top 22-20, an 11-0 run by Keystone (3-8) placed SJC in a nine-point deficit, 31-22 — the largest lead for either side in the contest.

The navy and gray responded with an 11-0 run of their own capped by an Anderson Beltre (Elmhurst, N.Y./Holy Cross) trifecta that put the Bears ahead by one and after one more lead change, both teams entered the lockers deadlocked at 41-all.

The Giants opened the second stanza on a 7-2 spurt for a 48-43 lead but Mikos had a steal and breakaway dunk that put the exclamation point on seven unanswered that put the Bears ahead 50-48 and SJC never trailed again. The Bears stretched their lead on to seven, 61-54, with 11:44 to play and never let the Giants pull any closer than two.

A pair of Richie Simon (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) jumpers gave the Bears a 75-69 lead with four minutes remaining and the Bears closed out the win scoring their final five points from the free throw line while holding Keystone to just two field goals over the final four minutes. 

For the Bears

• Mikos scored 19 of his team-high 30 in the second half finishing the contest shooting 11-of-21 from the field and 7-of-10 from the charity stripe. He also pulled down seven rebounds, handed out four assists, and swiped three steals while playing all 40 minutes.
• Evan Sirakis (Hollis Hills, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) added 12 points, six rebounds, and six assists, also logging all 40 minutes.
• Simon finished with his second collegiate double-double netting 11 points and grabbing a game-high 11 boards, also swatting away two shots.
• Joe Sheehan (Staten Island, N.Y./Gaynor McCown) rounded out four in double figures, chipping in 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting with five caroms and two blocks.
• The Bears shot a season-high 50 percent (30-of-60) and dominated scoring in the paint, 40-14. In addition to committing a season-low seven turnovers, SJC forced 17 miscues that they parlayed into 26 points.

Next Up

The Bears will return to the floor after finals week and close out 2021 with a non-conference road test at Hunter College on Wednesday, December 29 starting at 2 p.m. Live stats and video will be available at SJCBears.com/live.