BROOKLYN – First-place St. Joseph's College used a 26-6 run to close out the first half, taking a 35-14 lead into halftime in the Bears 70-25 win over the host Cannoneers in Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball play Tuesday night at the ARC.
A Sam Peterson 10-footer brought Pratt to within two points at 8-6, and a Nicholas Lensander layup made it a 9-8 contest at the 14:48 mark of the first half. From there, Bears guard Matt O'Neil scored six points in an 8-0 run that opened up a 17-8 lead, and a Francisco Escobedo three-point play sent St. Joseph's into the locker room with a 35-14 lead.
An 11-0 run early in the second half capped by a Michael Megafu dunk and an Anthony Golaszewski three-pointer increased the St. Joe's lead to 53-17. In all, the Bears outscored Pratt 66-17 over the final 34:00 in closing out a 70-25 win.
O'Neil led all players with 18 points on 8-12 shooting, which included several transition lay-ins, while Megafu and Escobedo rounded out a trio of double-figure scorers with 10 each. St. Joseph's forced 32 Pratt turnovers, holding the home team to 26 percent shooting.
Peterson led the Cannoneers with seven points to go along with five rebounds and three assists. Aaron Nininger tied for game-high honors with nine rebounds, and fellow forward Ari Grant added six points and four boards over 22 minutes.
Pratt returns to play on Friday against Sarah Lawrence at 8:00 p.m.
