The Hawks Defeat the Greyhounds 97 – 56 In Front of a Crowd of 2,872 and Some Celebrities
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 12/29/2023 –
The final non-conference game, and last game of the year 2023. Saint Joseph’s looks ready to take the next step of the season with a dominating 97 – 56 win over Loyola Maryland at the Hagan Arena. The Hawks had balanced scoring as ten of thirteen players who saw game action scored. The leading scorer for Saint Joe’s was Rasheer Fleming with 19 points. The Hawks had six players in double figures a season high. Now, it’s conference play, and the question raised are the Hawks ready?
“You can’t tie one to the other,” said Saint Joseph’s Coach Billy Lange. “”What I like is our guys are united. I like that you see development out of certain guys. I like the groups that you put on the floor tried to do the things we asked them to do. So from that standpoint I feel really good. Whatever our readiness for the A10 , that remains to be seen.”
Key Run
Saint Joe’s and Loyola were battling early. With under eleven and a half minutes remaining in the first stanza Loyola was behind 15 – 11 on a three-pointer by Deon Perry, who led the Greyhounds with 18 points. They would not score again over the next three minutes while the Haws added 11 points behind forward Rasheer Fleming and Shawn Simmons II to establish control of the game at 26 – 13.
Later in the half SJU went on an 18 – 8 run to take the largest lead to that time at 46 – 23. The Hawks hit 4 three-pointers during that stretch by Lynn Greer III, Anthony Finkley, Cam Brown, and Christ Essandoko.
What the Numbers Say
Saint Joseph’s assisted 20 times on 33 baskets. The Hawks registered a season-high 12 steals. From the three-point line SJU was 15 of 36 to tie a season-high for made three’s. The 97 points was the second most scored by the team this year just short of the 100 scored on Stonehill.
Cam Brown contributed 14 points and was good on 4 of 8 from distance. He passed Marvin O’Connor for fifth place on the all-time list in that statistic. Brown has 234 made three-pointers. Greer III had 15 points and 6 assists. Erik Reynolds II added 13 points, while Anthony Finkley and Shawn Simmons II got 10 points each. For Simmons his points are a career-high. The three from beyond the arc for Finkley are a collegiate-best.
Loyola turned the ball over 19 times and shot 33.9% making 21 of 62. Defense mattered too for SJU.
“That’s our main goal this season is applying defense on the team we are playing,” Fleming said. “We know the offense is going to come. So that’s our main focus this season is to play the best defense we can play. Everything else is going to follow.”
Nostalgia Night on Hawk Hill
Attending the game were Hawk greats Jameer Nelson and Natasha Cloud. Also here was women’s basketball great Sue Bird. She is doing a story on college basketball traditions, and was the Hawk in the first half. Marvin O’Connor was in the house as well. It was a surprise to the team that Bird was the mascot.
“It was a shock,” Brown said. “We didn’t know Sue Bird was in the Hawk costume until the game. It was cool to have legends like Jameer Nelson here. Natasha Cloud was here too. Some good people to play in front of and just show we are just trying to lead in their footsteps.”
“If we had Sue Bird, Natasha Cloud, Marvin O’Conner, and Jameer Nelson in a Saint Joe’s uniform, I’d feel even better,” Lange said. “That’s four amazing basketball players right there. I told our Director of Athletics I’ve got to do everything I can to not ask Sue Bird for her autograph. Maybe she should stay as the Hawk.”
Next Up
Loyola (MD) drops to 2 – 11 for the season. The Greyhounds begin Patriot League play on January 3 at Colgate. Loyola gave La Salle a tussle earlier this season. Not tonight.
The Hawks upgrade their record to 10 – 3 and bounced back after the loss at the College of Charleston. Atlantic 10 play commences on Wednesday at Rhode Island.
Written By: Glenn Papazian
Contact: glenn@phillycollegesports.com
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