Men’s Basketball Defeated by Hunter in Greg Grant Consolation Game

EWING, N.J. — The St. Joseph's University, N.Y. (Brooklyn) men's basketball team concluded the Greg Grant Tipoff Tournament in fourth place, falling to Hunter College 84-72 on Saturday afternoon.

Senior Evan Sirakis (Hollis Hills, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) led all scorers with 27 points on the day while sophomore Jonathan Reno (Staten Island, N.Y./Moore Catholic) – who averaged 21 points in two days – earned a place on the Greg Grant All-Tournament team.

How it Happened

The early stages of the first half saw a pair of ties and six lead changes. Following an Adam Jasaraj (Staten Island, N.Y./Susan Wagner) jumper at 14:15, the advantage swung in the Hawks' favor. Midway through the period, a Reno triple trimmed Hunter's lead to one, 15-14, but the advantage grew to 11 thanks to 10 unanswered points, 27-16. The gap would hover around 10 throughout the half before the CUNYAC outfit entered the half with a 38-25 lead.

The second half saw the Hawks lead by as many as 17; 45-28 with 16:38. SJBK mounted a comeback – propelled by an 11-0 run – to come within two possessions, 65-60, with 6:23 remaining. Sirakis, James Mojica (South Ozone Park, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy), and Max Butler (Staten Island, N.Y./Port Richmond) all drained three-pointers in the span.

Despite the Bears' best efforts, Hunter's lead once again grew to as many as 13 with under 90 seconds left to play. They ultimately sealed an 84-72 result.

For the Bears

• Sirakis finished with six assists and a steal to go with his 27 points.

• Jasaraj totaled 11 points and as many rebounds. He also had four assists.

• Macheras matched Jasaraj's point total. He pulled six boards.

• Reno logged eight points and five caroms.

• Mojica had six points and a pair of rebounds on the day.

• At the charity stripe, SJBK starters shot an efficient 11-for-11; going 11-for-13 overall.

Up Next

The Bears return to The Hill Center on Tuesday, November 21 when they host Lehman College at 7 pm.