Dec. 7, 2004

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - Led by the second straight double-double from junior center Dwayne Jones, and 14 points from Chet Stachitas, Saint Joseph's downed Fairfield 59-51 at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse Tuesday in the first game at the Fieldhouse since the Hawks completed the perfect regular season (27-0) on March 2, 2004.

The Hawks extended their Fieldhouse winning streak to 12 by running off 15 unanswered points in the second half. Leading by only 36-35, SJU used six points from Jones and four from Rob Ferguson during the stretch. The Hawk defense held Fairfield without a field goal for 9:17.

Jones posted his second consecutive double-double, pouring in 12 points and grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds. On defense, the Atlantic 10's rebounding and blocked shots leader tied his career-best with six blocks.

Stachitas rebounded from a dismal 1-for-5 shooting performance in last Saturday's loss to Drexel to hit 6-of-12 shots for his second double-digit scoring game of the year.

Although the Hawks continue to struggle from the perimeter, hitting just 12.5 percent from 3-point range, SJU's defense was strong. Saint Joseph's also took care of the ball, committing only three turnovers in the first half, en route to a game total of 10.

Prior to the game, a banner was raised in the Fieldhouse to commemorate last year's remarkable run of 27-0. Graduated players Tyrone Barley and Brian Jesiolowski were in attendance to receive their "perfect season" rings.

The 2-2 Hawks now head to California for the fourth consecutive year to participate in the Northwestern Mutual Shootout at the University of San Francisco. SJU takes on UC-Davis on Friday, Dec. 10 at 5:30 p.m. PST (8:30 EST), while USF hosts Longwood in the second game. The winners and losers will pair up on Saturday, Dec. 11 at either 5:30 p.m. or 8:30 p.m. PST.