Hawks Late Run Opens the Way to a 77 – 59 Win Over the Pioneers
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 12/19/2022 –
The Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball team got back on the court two days after hosting Villanova, the middle game of three within five days. The Hawks led throughout, but were challenged by the Pioneers who closed to within a dozen with just over eight minutes left to play. Saint Joe’s responded scoring the next 16 points to put the game away. The decisive explosion was due to play on the offensive and defensive end of the floor.
“I’m not surprised at the run they made in the second half, but what I was encouraged by was the way our guys responded,” said Saint Joseph’s Coach Billy Lange. “It’s a sign of maturity and becoming.”
“We sustained a run and made another run.”
Cameron Brown Sank 3 Three-Pointers to Key the Surge
Sacred Heart pulled to within 54 – 42. Then, Saint Joseph’s ended any hopes of an upset. There was just less than six and a half minutes to play. Over the next twenty seconds the Hawks forced a turnover leading to a three-pointer by Cameron Brown. Erik Reynolds II stole the ball and fed Brown for another three-ball at the 6:08 mark. Reynolds got another steal and turned that into a three six second slater. When the run was done Brown Brown hit another from beyond the arc, and what was an uneasy lead turned into a 70 – 42 lead with 5:30 on the clock.
“Our defense has been spiking our offense over the past two games,” said Brown. “When we’re aggressive, turning them over, speeding them up it helps us play better. We hit four or five three’s in a row. We were sharing the ball. It’s more fun when the game is fast paced and do what we’re good at.”
Brown’s Stat Line
The senior guard scored a game-high 19 points making 7 of 14 from the floor and 5 of 7 from deep. He also headed the team with 11 rebounds and handed out 4 assists that tied a career-high. Nine of those points came in the game-clinching run.
Little Time to Celebrate
The next game for Saint Joe’s comes on Thursday against Central Connecticut State at the Hagan Arena. It is a stretch of games that will test the Hawks who know the challenge.
“It’s pretty tough,” Brown said about the frequency of games. ” We got a little tired, but you just have to push through it. You do it for the love of the game.”
“Having endurance is another thing the coaches preach,” forward Louis Bleechmore said. “Receiving the punches we do from these teams and responding with harder punches. And on top of that in back to back games, pushing through fatigue, pushing through the pain. We know it’s something bigger than us.”
On New Year’s Eve, conference games begin as Saint Louis comes to town, and that ends the five-game homestand.
What the Numbers Say
Bleechmore set collegiate-bests scoring 9 points, taking down 6 rebounds, and playing 20 minutes.
“We needed a spark and he gave us one,” Lange said about the efforts of Bleechmore.
Lynn Greer III set a career-mark handing out 8 assists. He added 11 points. Reynolds II added 10 points giving the team four double-digit scorers. He swiped the ball 4 times form a season-high.
The Hawks improve to 5 – 6 for the season and earned the win in the initial game played between these two schools.
Joey Reilly had a team-high in points with 15 and assists handing out 4 for the Pioneers.
Sacred Heart drops to 5 – 8 for the year.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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