Mikos, Sheehan Leads Men's Basketball's Second-Half Comeback Against Purchase

PURCHASE, N.Y. — Chris Mikos (Freehold, N.J./St. John Vianney) exploded for a season-best 37 points and 10 rebounds while Joe Sheehan (Staten Island, N.Y./Gaynor McCown) logged his first collegiate double-double behind a 10-point, 14-rebound effort as the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team weathered a 15-point deficit en route to a 75-72 victory over Purchase College on Thursday evening.

Evan Sirakis (Hollis Hills, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) joined Mikos and Sheehan in double figures with 14 points of his own, to go along with six rebounds, four assists, and a pair of steals.

How it Happened

After trading buckets to start, the Panthers (4-14, 4-6 Skyline) got out to a 10-4 advantage thanks to a pair of treys. A turnaround jumper from Mikos brought the Bears' (3-16, 2-9 Skyline) deficit to 13-11 at the 13:49 mark before the hosts took a double-digit lead with an even 11 minutes on the clock.

Down 31-16 with 5:41 to play in the first half, Sheehan's layup began an SJC 11-2 run – capped off by a Mikos free throw – to come within six, 33-27. Purchase scored seven of the final nine points in the period to take a 40-29 lead into the locker room.

The Panthers once again saw their advantage grow to 15 to begin the second stanza. However, the double-figure margin soon evaporated as the Bears came to within nine with 9:45 remaining, 56-47. A combined 10 points from Mikos and Sheehan over the next two minutes brought the navy and gray even closer, 59-57.

Following a pair of Purchase free throws, Sirakis netted the next four points to level the game at 61 apiece with a Mikos floater giving SJC their first lead since the 18:22 mark of the first half. 

The hosts briefly retook the lead from the stripe with 74 seconds left, 66-65, before the Bears outscored the Panthers 10-6 in the waning moments of the contest to seal their 75-72 triumph.

For the Bears

• Mikos shot 13-of-24 from the floor and 11-of-22 from the charity stripe. He added a pair of assists and as many steals to round out his night.
• Sheehan's 14 rebounds set a new personal best for the junior big. Eight of his boards came on the offensive glass.
• Sirakis came within a triple of matching his season-best. He also shot 5-of-7 from the line.
• James Mojica (South Ozone Park, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) registered eight caroms, four points, and a steal.
• The Bears pulled a season-high 57 rebounds, 25 more than the Panthers on the evening.
• The 15-point comeback is the Bears' largest in Skyline play and the most since a 14-point come-from-behind effort to edge Sarah Lawrence, 89-80, in January 2016.
• The victory snaps a four-game funk for the navy and gray and is the program's second Skyline victory against Purchase, the first since a 105-98 win in January 2019.

Up Next

The Bears are back at The Hill Center this Saturday, February 5 for a meeting with sibling rivals SJC Long Island. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m. with live stats and video available on sjcbears.com/live.