Written by Julia Ruocchio
When and Where:
January 15, 2025 - Patchogue, NY
Records:
St. Joseph's (L.I.), 4-10, 3-2 Skyline
St. Joseph's (B.K.), 4-10, 1-4 Skyline
Results:
The St. Joseph's University (L.I.) men's basketball team earned a 72-65 win over St. Joseph's University (B.K.) in a conference match-up at the Danzi Center on Wednesday evening.
Top performers:
- Junior Justin Turner led the Golden Eagles with 15 points while adding four rebounds and four assists. He shot 9-for-12 on free throws
- Sophomore AJ Esposito recorded a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 4-for-6 from the field and 5-for-5 on free throws with a block and a steal
- Graduate Student Matt Coletti contributed 11 points, while senior Alec Tabada recorded a game-high six assists
- The Bears were led by a 27-point performance by Timothy Richardson, who shot 7-for-19 from the field and 9-for-12 on free throws with five rebounds and two steals
- Adam Jasaraj grabbed a game-high 15 rebounds and scored 10 points for a double-double
- Colin Mills scored 13 points with three rebounds
How it happened:
- The first five minutes of the game featured seven lead changes, with the Bears taking an 10-8 lead on a three for Richardson at the 15:26 mark
- A three-point play for Turner shortly after tied the game at 11 apiece, before Jasaraj responded with a three to put SJBK in the lead 14-11 with 12:51 on the clock
- About four minutes later, Esposito tied the game at 19 with a layup at the 8:56 mark, which began a massive 14-0 run for the Golden Eagles to take a lead of 12 (31-19) with 5:05 on the clock. Coletti made two big threes and scored eight points during the run, and Esposito scored six
- The Bears scored the next six points, then the Golden Eagles went back up by double digits (36-25) on a pair of made free throws for Graduate Student Justin Forest with 3:45 remaining, before the hosts finished the half ahead by 10 (39-29)
- SJLI scored the first five points of the second half, with Forest's three at the 18:50 mark increasing the lead to 15, which was their largest lead of the night
- After a back and forth next couple of minutes, the Bears went on a 6-0 run to trim their deficit to eight (48-40) on a basket for Nazareth Warren at the 14:47 mark
- Shortly after, a three for Richardson cut the lead to four (51-47) with 11:21 on the clock, then SJBK came within three (53-50) on a three for Justin Nazon at the 10:32 mark
- The Golden Eagles went back up by seven (57-50) on a layup for sophomore Kenny Rodriguez, then the hosts increased the lead to eight (60-52) on a three-point play for Esposito with 7:37 remaining
- Each team exchanged baskets a few times in the next five minutes, then Richardson made a jumper to bring SJBK within four (64-60) at the 2:22 mark
- Following a layup for senior Spencer Malloy, Mills connected with a three with 1:02 remaining to trim the lead to three (66-63)
- Tabada made a pair of free throws with 16 seconds remaining to extend the lead to five points (68-63), then Nazon made a layup with nine seconds remaining to cut the deficit to three (68-65)
- Turner made two free throws to make it a two possession game (70-65) with seven seconds on the clock, then Turner made two more free throws as the Golden Eagles came away with a 72-65 victory
Notes:
- St. Joseph's (L.I.) shot 41.1% from the field and 27.8% from three-point range
- The Bears posted a 30.1% shooting percentage overall and 24.3% from beyond the arc
- SJLI held the advantage in points in the paint (30-20) and assists (17-10), while SJBK held the advantage in rebounds (50-37)
- The Golden Eagles received 31 points from their bench compared to the Bears' six
Next up:
The Golden Eagles return to action on Saturday, January 18 when they visit Yeshiva University for a conference match-up at 8:30pm.
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