MBB Falls to St. Joseph's

NEW LONDON, Conn. – The St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team earned its first win of the season, 63-56, over Mitchell College in the opening game of the Mitchell College Tipoff Tourney Showcase on Friday night at the Yarnall Athletic Center.

Jan Rogowski scored a game-high 18 points on 8-of-9 shooting and was the only Bears player in double figures. David Louison added nine points and 11 rebounds as St. Joseph's (1-1 overall) shot 46 percent from the floor and held a 30-18 edge in points in the paint.

Freshman Joshua Ford recorded the first double-double of his career with 17 points and 17 rebounds—including nine on the offensive glass—to lead the Mariners. Senior Paul Jefferson and freshman Trace Lanson added 14 and 10 points, respectively, as Mitchell (1-1 overall) shot 36 percent from the floor.

St. Joseph's took its biggest lead of the first half on a three-pointer by Johnny Mendez that made it 17-10 with 10:19 to play. Mitchell responded with six straight points to cut the deficit to one, getting a pair of buckets from Ford and a lay-up by senior Alex Vess.

The Mariners later tied the game on an emphatic dunk by Ford on the break that made it 27-27 with 3:22 to go, but the Bears closed the half with a 10-4 run to lead 37-31 at the break. Ford had 12 points at intermission while Rogowski led St. Joseph's with 11.

Rogowski continued with the hot hand to start the second half, burying a three-pointer and a jumper on the Bears' first two possessions to extend the lead to 11 at 42-31. The junior forward made the first eight shots he attempted in the contest and had his only miss come on a three-point attempt.

St. Joseph's never trailed in the second half but had its lead trimmed to 59-56 with 4:46 remaining. Mitchell had two chances to whittle the margin down even more but turned the ball over each time, contributing to 19 total turnovers on the night. The Bears held the Mariners scoreless over the final 4:46 and sealed the victory from the free throw line.

The Tipoff Tourney Showcase will continue throughout the weekend. Saturday's match-up features St. Joseph's against Salve Regina University at 2 p.m.  Mitchell will then host Salve Regina on Sunday at 2 p.m.