PHILADELPHIA, PA. 12/3/2019 – Basketball is a numbers game. The Lafayette Leopards connected on 34 of their 62 shots, made half of their three-pointers, and did not turn the ball over. That is a tough combination to overcome for the Saint Joseph’s Hawks who lost 94 – 71 on Hawk Hill. It was the second time that Lafayette won over Saint Joe’s.
Lafayette made 14 of 28 from beyond the arc. Inside the three-point line they were good on 20 of 34 attempts. The kept possession of the ball turning it over 5 times.
“They are just a hard team to defend,” said Saint Joseph’s Coach Billy Lange. “They have continuity, maturity, and leadership because they play the right way. That’s what they do.”
“There is nothing better as a teacher, than a lesson, so tonight we got a little bit of a lesson.”
The shooting percentage for Saint Joseph’s was 41.7% as they made 25 of 60, but could only connect on 8 of 27 three-pointers. The Hawks had 11 miscues.
Leopards guard Justin Jaworski scored a career-high 31 points making 10 of 17 from the floor and 5 of 10 from distance while making all 6 free throws.
Hawks guard Ryan Daly tried to match it getting 25 points, the third time he got 20 or more in a game. He added 6 rebounds and a team-high 5 assists
In addition to Daly guard Cameron Brown had 13 points and a team-high tying 6 rebounds. Forward Lorenzo Edwards contributed 12 points for the Hawks.
The Leopards got 15 points and 4 assists Myles Cherry. Forward Lukas Jarrett had 13 points and a team-best 7 rebounds.
The Hawks fell behind early, but mounted a charge near the end of the first half. Trailing 49 – 26 with just over five minutes left, Saint Joe’s scored the next 14 points to pull within 49 – 42 at halftime. Saint Joseph’s could not cut into the lead more, then Lafayette began to stretch it. Midway through the second half the gap was back to 20.
“We defended, we got stops, we forced inefficient shots, contested, rebounded, and moved the ball a little better,” Lange said about what made the run prior to intermission. “It’s how do you sustain it and can we sustain it? The turnover and the three to start the second half was the difference. We came out and did not execute, but we will get better at that.”
Numbers.
Next up for the 2 – 7 Hawks is a game against the Villanova Wildcats on Saturday. Lange was an assistant on the Main Line, and looks forward to being a part of this rivalry from the other side.
“Part of what’s great about being a coach at Villanova and especially being a coach at Saint Joseph’s is playing in the Holy War, coaching in the Holy War. It’s more about Villanova playing Saint Joseph’s.”
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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