BROOKLYN, N.Y. — Led by 16 points from rookie forward Stephan Direny (Brooklyn, N.Y./Achievement First), the St. Joseph's University, N.Y. (Brooklyn) men's basketball team were on the winning end of an 80-73 result against sibling institution St. Joseph's (Long Island) on Tuesday evening from The Hill Center.
Adam Jasaraj (Staten Island, N.Y./Susan Wagner) followed closely behind Direny with 13 points. Evan Sirakis (Hollis Hills, N.Y./St. Francis Prep) and Nazareth Warren (Brooklyn, N.Y./Spring Creek Campus) each finished with 10 points on the night, rounding out the quartet in double figures.
How it Happened
Following a Golden Eagle 14-10 lead, the Bears used a 14-4 spurt to possess a 24-18 edge at the 7:14 mark. Direny poured in eight points in the stretch as the team shot 7-of-13 and forced the visitors into three turnovers. The advantage grew to 10 with under a minute courtesy of a Chris Tracy (Glendale, N.Y./Archbishop Molloy) triple. However, Long Island's Spencer Malloy trimmed their deficit to 37-29 at the half, thanks to a layup with nine seconds remaining.
The double-digit advantage was restored by five quick points from Jasaraj early in the second, 42-31. The stanza saw the navy and gray's largest lead of the night, 60-47 with 8:19 remaning. The Golden Eagles closed the gap to as little as five down the stretch but the Bears held on, claiming the seven-point result.
For the Bears
-
Direny shot 7-of-11 from the field and hauled a team-high seven rebounds.
-
Jasaraj went 5-of-7 and 3-of-5 from three-point range. He also finished with three boards.
-
Sirakis came an assist shy of a double-double. He also forced a game-leading four steals.
-
Eight of Warren's 10 points came from the charity stripe. The rookie also collected four caroms.
-
Tracy and Jonathan Reno (Staten Island, N.Y./Moore Catholic) each had nine points with the former going 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.
-
This marks the first season-series sweep from the Golden Eagles since taking both matchups in the 2018-19 season. Current assistant coach Sebastien Etheart started both meetings.
-
The Bears' Skyline Conference record improved to 4-7 on the season (5-15 overall).
Up Next
The Bears host Purchase College in the second game of an Alumni Day doubleheader on Saturday, February 3 at 3 pm.
#BearWitnessSJNY
