Men’s Basketball Edges Medgar Evers in OT

Written by Andrew Capitelli (SJC-LI Sports Information)

Brooklyn, NY| Behind Dominique Spann's double-double and Andy Laurent's 22 points, the St. Joseph's College (L.I.) men's basketball team earned a 91-90 overtime victory over Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, NY on Tuesday evening. With the win, the Golden Eagles improve to 1-1 on the season, while the Cougars open their season with a 0-1 record.

Medgar came out of the gate strong, tallying nine of the game's first 13 points through the opening 3:15, but the Golden Eagles responded with a 13-5 run to pull ahead 17-14 at the 14:34 mark.

In response, the Cougars rallied to build a 31-23 lead with 6:44 remaining in the first frame, but 13-4 run by St. Joseph's capped off by a three-point play by Spann, who drained a shot despite being fouled, regained the lead for the guests at 2:38. Jump shots by MEC's Zavier Coston and Matthew Lee ensured the Cougars entered halftime up 39-38, but the Golden Eagles remained within striking distance.

With the score tied at 43, a 10-0 rally by the hosts widened the gap, but the run was halted by a Spann three-pointer at 14:31 of the second.

Later, down 68-57, the Golden Eagles mounted their comeback, courtesy of a 14-3 run which tied the game at 71 and later at 73. Junior Fernando Vazquez's three-ball at 5:36 put St. Joseph's ahead 76-73, and later his pair of free throws with four seconds remaining in regulation tied the game at 82 and forced overtime.

After scoring the extra frame's first basket, the Cougars opened up an 88-85 lead, but following an Isaiah Moore free throw with 1:50 remaining, Laurent's layup at the 33 second mark tied the game at 88. MEC's Damani Guscott answered 10 seconds later with a layup of his own, but it was Laurent who struck last, sinking a three-pointer to win the game with only six seconds on the clock.

Laurent shot 2-4 from three and 8-12 from the free throw line in his 22 point performance. The Amityville native also contributed with seven rebounds, six assists and two steals. Spann scored 19 points and added 10 rebounds, four assists and two steals.

Cohen shot 6-10 from the field to tally a career-best 16 points, and Vazquez and Heenan contributed 17 and 13 points, respectively.

Despite being outshot from the field, the Golden Eagles were the better from beyond the arc, holding a 28.6%-22.2% advantage. MEC dominated the paint, outrebounding the Golden Eagles 57-37 and outscoring them 42-34 in the paint, but SJC generated more turnovers (29-19) and made Medgar pay, outscoring the opposition 41-21 in points off turnovers.

The Golden Eagles return to action on Saturday, November 21, when the travel to Marymount University in Arlington, VA to participate in the Pablo Coto Tip-Off Tournament. SJC will face Eastern Mennonite University at 1:30 PM on Saturday before playing a second-round match against an opponent TBD on Sunday. Live coverage of the tournament will be available here.