Men’s Basketball Moves Into Playoff Position with Victory Over Purchase
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
St. Joseph's (L.I.) (10-13, 9-9 SKY) | 24 | 42 | 66 |
|
Purchase St. (11-12, 9-9 SKY) | 27 | 29 | 56 |
Written by Andrew Capitelli (SJC-LI Sports Information)
Purchase, NY| The St. Joseph's College (L.I.) men's basketball team moved into a playoff position after defeating SUNY Purchase College 66-56 on the road in Skyline Conference action on Sunday afternoon. The victory sees the Golden Eagles improve to 10-13 on the season and slide into sixth place in the Skyline standings with a 9-9 conference record. The Panthers remain in fifth with an 11-12 overall record and a 9-9 Skyline mark.
It was SJC that jumped out to a 15-6 lead 7:51 into the first half following a Isaiah Moore three-pointer, and later the forward's converted jumper with 7:19 to play in the first extended the guests' lead to nine points (24-15). The Panthers would respond with a 12-0 run to end the half to pull ahead 27-24 at the break.
The Golden Eagles pulled back ahead (32-31) 2:21 into the second frame after Dominique Spann drained a three-ball, and the bucket would kick start what would end up being a 16-0 run that saw SJC extend its lead to 14 points (45-31) at 8:51.
Andy Laurent drained consecutive free throws with 5:11 to play in regulation to give the Golden Eagles a 20-point edge (60-40), but it would end up being a 10-point victory (66-56) for SJC when the final buzzer sounded.
Spann's 15 points and 11 rebounds were both game-highs, as the senior recorded his third double-double of the season. Moore pitched in with 13 points, and Billy Heenan contributed 10 points and eight boards. Joseph Savaglio set a new career-best with 11 points.
Despite being edged in a number of statistical categories, including second-chance points (10-2), points off turnovers (23-8) and points in the paint (24-12), SJC was the far better shooting team from the field (39.6%-32.9%) and from three (42.9%-16.0%).
The Golden Eagles return to action on Thursday, February 18 when they travel to Manhattan to face Yeshiva University in Skyline action. Tip-off is set for 8:00 PM Live stats will be available here.
