OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. — In their quest to capture the first Skyline title in program history and become the first No. 6 seed to win the championship, the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) men's basketball team fell 63-47 to the top seed Old Westbury on Saturday afternoon in the Skyline Men's Basketball Championship Final.

The Basics

• Final Score: Old Westbury 63, St. Joseph's 47
• Records: Old Westbury (19-8), St. Joseph's (15-13)
• Date: February 27, 2016
• Location: Old Westbury, N.Y.
• Arena: Clark Athletic Center
• Starters: 
  • St. Joseph's: Willis (G), O'Neill (G), Parr (G), Archer (F), Megafu (F)
  • Old Westbury: Odle (G), Stanley (G), Edwards (F), Page (F), Victor (F)

Turning Points

• St. Joseph's closed the first half on 13-5 run to take their first lead of the game and hold a one-point lead at half, but the Bears were plagued by 2-of-16 shooting over the first 15 minutes of the second stanza that allowed the Panthers jump out to a 15-point lead.

How it Happened

• After an early 6-6 tie, the Panthers recorded eight straight capped by Lylle Ryals' trey to take early command.
• Jamir Archer drained three consecutive field goals to spur a 6-0 run that brought the Bears within 14-12.
• Old Westbury grew their advantage to 23-16 with 6:10 remaining in the first, but St. Joseph's closed the half on a 13-5 run to enter the intermission leading 29-28. Six of the points came from Archer, including a jumper at the 48-second mark that made it 29-28 and carried the Bears into the break holding their first lead of the contest.
• The Panthers opened the second half with consecutive field goals to recapture the lead.
• A pair of free-throws from Michael Megafu brought St. Joseph's within 34-33 with 14:38 remaining. But Old Westbury asserted themselves with a dominant 11-0 stretch, hounding the Bears on the defensive end to hold them scoreless for the next 7:32.
• Alex Willis broke the scoreless stretch with a jumper at the 7:06 mark to make it 45-35, but the Panthers did not let up in the homestretch. Their advantage ballooned to as large as 20 as they coasted to the league title.

For the Bears

• Senior Jamir Archer led all scorers with 20 points on 10-of-15 shooting. He added eight boards and one rejection.
• Sophomore Alec Willis nailed 3-of-10 from downtown in a 13-point effort.
• Senior Michael Megafu flirted with another double-double, recording nine points, seven caroms and four assists. Named to the All-Skyline Second Team concludes his outstanding four-year career with 1,614 points, 1,110 rebounds and 134 blocks, second all-time in the latter two categories.
• Matt O'Neill added five points, six rebounds, four assists, three thefts and one rejection in a losing effort. Named to the All-Skyline First Team yesterday, the senior concludes his career with 1,416 points, 497 rebounds and the all-time leader in steals with 315 thefts.

For the Panthers

• Skyline Conference Player of the Year Jamail Stanley fittingly led the Panthers with 16 points, but was held to just 5-of-17 from the floor. The guard added nine caroms and four blocks and was named the championship's Most Outstanding Player.
• P.J. Page and Lylle Ryals each contributed 11 points to round out three in double figures for the champions.
• Luckens Victor and Kaleem Edwards helped control the boards with nine apiece, adding seven and three points respectively.

Inside the Box Score

• In a defensive battle, the Bears shot 37.0 percent (20-54) from the floor while holding their opponent to 35.7 percent (20-56).
• But the Panthers found their edge from three-point range, nailing 8-of-25 (32.0%), seven of them in the first half. After connecting 11 times from long range in the semifinal and 20 over the tournament at 39 percent, St. Joseph's managed to convert on just 3-of-20 (15.0%) today.
• Old Westbury was also more active from the free-throw line, connecting on 15-of-21 (71.4%) compared to the Bears' 4-of-9 (44.4%).
• The Bears, the league leader in scoring offense at 79.5 points a game was held to their lowest tally of the season at 47 points. Their 18 points in the second half was also the lowest in a period this season.

The Bear Facts

• St. Joseph's falls just short in their quest to become the first No. 6 seed to win the championship. With the victory, Old Westbury collects their second Skyline Conference title and first since 2004.
• Finishing 10-10 in league play and upending two higher seeded teams (No. 3 Farmingdale State and No. 2 Sage) in the playoffs to reach the final, the Bears will look to build on a successful inaugural Skyline Conference season.