Release courtesy of St. Joseph's Athletics
BROOKLYN, N.Y.—Twelve different Bears tallied a field goal as the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team never trailed in a 79-46 Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (HVIAC) victory over Pratt Institute in their league opener on at the Activities Resource Center on Wednesday night.
Jumping out to a 3-0 start for the first time under Coach Cocozello, the Bears (3-0, 1-0 HVIAC) were led by the third consecutive double-double performances from senior David Louison (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) and junior Michael Megafu (Jamaica, N.Y./Nazareth Regional). Megafu scored a team-high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting. He also added 11 rebounds, four assists, and two steals. Louison recorded 12 points, 10 boards, two assists and three steals.
For the third consecutive game, St. Joseph's also had four different players reach double figures in scoring. Senior Vernon Maddox (Staten Island, N.Y./St. Peter's) contributed 11 points, three helpers and three steals while junior Matt O'Neill (Brooklyn, N.Y./St. Edmund Prep) pitched in with 10 points, two assists, and three steals.
Freshman Olatunde Bashorun (Staten Island, N.Y./Port Richmond) and sophomore Richard DiPuma (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) chipped in five points each to lead the eight reserves who combined for 24 points
Andrew Yaglenski led the way for Pratt (2-2, 0-2 HVIAC), scoring a game-high 18 points helped by a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Ari Grant provided a strong all-around effort with 15 points, nine boards, four assists and three blocks.
The Bears controlled the game throughout and never trailed. They jumped out to an early 13-2 lead by the 15:11 mark and went into the break leading 32-20.
Louison's powerful dunk 13 seconds into the second stanza set the pace for another strong half. DiPuma's trifecta with 8:10 remaining made the score 68-33 and put St. Joseph's up 35 points; their largest lead of the game and season.
Despite shooting the 40 percent in the half, the Cannoneers were unable to make up much ground as the Bears shot a blistering 57 percent (21-37) to finish with a 49 percent connect rate for the contest. The Bears defense also held Pratt to just 35 shooting (18-51) and swiped 17 steals and forced 24 turnovers.
After a perfect 3-0 start, the Bears will now look head to Quincy, Mass. to compete in the Eastern Nazarene College Holiday Tournament. The Bears will face Maine-Presque Isle in the opening round on Friday, November 21 at 8 p.m.
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Release courtesy of Pratt Athletics
BROOKLYN -- Pratt Institute fell to 2-2 overall and 0-2 in league play with a 79-46 loss to St. Joseph's (BK) College in Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference action Wednesday night at the Pratt ARC.
Cannoneers freshman Andrew Yaglenski led all players with 18 points off the bench, converting on 8-8 free throws and hitting 5-11 off the floor. Ari Grant added 15 points, a team-high nine rebounds and a game-best three blocks, but St. Joseph's placed four starters in double figures, two posting double-doubles, in improving to 3-0 (1-0 HVIAC).
With the game tied 2-2, four Bears chipped in on an 11-0 run spanning just over four minutes. Yaglenski scored six unanswered later in the half, but St. Joseph's responded with a 6-0 run capped by a David Louison dunk and a Michael Megafu layup to go on top 30-14 with 1:12 left in the half.
A pair of Yaglenski field goals cut the margin to 32-20 at halftime, as Pratt shot just 8-26 (31 percent) in the frame.
St. Joseph's opened the second half with a dunk and a layup from Louison that sparked a 14-2 run, going on top 46-22 with 15:45 remaining. After a pair of Yaglenski free throws, a Vernon Maddox three-point field goal opened a 7-0 run, distancing the Bears for good ahead 53-24. Eleven of Grant's 18 came after intermission, but St. Joseph's held Pratt to 0-11 three-point shooting in a 79-46 win.
On the night, Pratt converted 10-12 free throws (83 percent) but shot just 35 percent (18-51) from the floor. Twelve Bears scored one or more field goal as St. Joseph's shot 49 percent (34-70) as a team. Megaful totaled 16 points and 11 rebounds, and Louison added 12 points and 10 rebounds in his double-double.
Pratt returns to play Friday night at 8:00 in non-conference play at Sarah Lawrence College.
