Men's Basketball Wins Thriller Against Union College, 70-68

When and Where:

November 27, 2022 - Schenectady NY 

Records:

St. Joseph's (L.I.), 2-3, Union College 0-5 

Results:

A strong second-half showing led the St. Joseph's University (L.I.) men's basketball team to a 70-68 win over host Union College on the second day of the Sig Makofski Tournament.

Top performers:

• Junior Xavier Allen led the Golden Eagles with 34 points shooting 14-for-23 from the field while adding a team-high seven rebounds 

• Junior Timothy Hirdt also scored in double figures collecting 10 points 

• Junior Spencer Malloy provided the team with seven points and seven rebounds

• Mike Manley led the way for Union scoring 25 points, with Justin Regis scoring 16 points and grabbing seven rebounds

How it happened: 

• Early on, the Golden Eagles fell behind by many as 11 points when Regis and Manley combined for Union's first eight points of the game

• SJLI would cut the lead down to one, 14-13, at the 10:52 mark, with Malloy and Hirdt providing scoring

• Union would pull ahead again, building a lead as big as 13 points, ending the half ahead 39-29

• Union would start the second half strong, again pulling away to a 13-point lead, but nine unanswered points from Allen brought the score even at 44 with 12:50 on the clock

• Minutes later, SJLI would take its first lead of the game, 51-49, on a triple from Allen

• The Golden Eagles would not trail for the rest of the game as Matthew Hirdt went to the free throw line with five seconds left, hitting one of two free throws to give the Golden Eagles a two-point victory

Notes: 

• For his efforts, Allen was named to the All-Tournament Team

• The Golden Eagles shot 39.1% from the field in the first half but improved to 55.2% in the second frame, for an average of 48.1% for the game 

• Union College posted a 37.9% shooting percentage overall and 27.6% from beyond the arc

• SJLI was 16-for-25 from the charity stripe with Union finishing 10-for-14

• St. Joseph's outscored Union 36-22 in the paint, while also contributing 17 bench points as opposed to five 

 The Golden Eagles return to action Tuesday, November 29 when they travel to Stony Brook University for an exhibition matchup at 6:30 pm.