Men's Basketball Wins 4th Straight

Written by Julia Ruocchio

Patchogue, NY|  The St. Joseph's College (L.I.) men's basketball team defeated the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, 62-40, in a Skyline Conference match-up at the Danzi Center on Sunday evening.

The Golden Eagles win their fourth-straight game and improve to 6-4 in Skyline play and 10-7 overall. The Mariners fall to 7-3 in conference and 10-7 overall.

Freshman Alec Tabada led the Golden Eagles with a game-high 22 points to go along with 11 rebounds for his fifth double-double of the season.

Senior Matthew Hirdt finished with 12 points and shot 4-for-9 from beyond the arch. Sophomore Ryan McNeely also knocked down double-digit points; he was 3-for-5 from three-point territory and added 11 points.

Bryce Bristow led the Mariners with 10 points while collecting six rebounds. Blaine McDonough added a team-high eight boards.

Tabada's two-point shot with 16:19 on the clock in the first half gave the Golden Eagles a lead they would never give up. The Mariners came within three of SJC's lead at the 6:47 mark, the closest they'd come to St. Joseph's advantage.

The Golden Eagles went into the break up by 14 courtesey of Ryan McNeely's three-point shot with two seconds remaining ending the half.

The hosts led by at least 10 points for the entire second half. Sophomore Spencer Malloy's two-point shot at the 5:01 mark put St. Joseph's up by 19 for their largest lead of the night until they went on a 5-0 run to end the game with a lead of 22.

St. Joseph's shot 49% from the field and limited USMMA to just a 25% shooting percentage.

Next up, the Golden Eagles visit Skyline Conference SUNY Maritime for a match-up against the Privateers on Wednesday, February 2 at 7:00 pm.