PHILADELPHIA (12/01/02) -- According to head coach Phil Martelli, the Saint Joseph's perimeter defense is so good, the Hawks can't even run their own plays in practice. On Sunday afternoon in the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse, the visiting Old Dominion Monarchs found out just how good that defense is. Saint Joseph's held ODU to 29% shooting from the field and received 21 points from junior guard Jameer Nelson on their way to a 63-47 victory in the Hawks' home opener. With the victory, SJU starts their season with a 3-0 record for the first time since 1994-95 and for the first time in the Martelli era. Old Dominon drops to 1-2 overall. "The defense has been like that since October 12. We actually are not as far along offensively because we can't run a play in practice sometimes. Our ball pressure has been like that since day one," Martelli said. The Monarchs took an early 7-4 lead in the contest, thanks to two Ricardo Marsh buckets. But Nelson followed his own three pointer at the 11:42 mark with a steal and uncontested layup to give the Crimson and Gray a 12-9 lead that they would only relinquish once the rest of the way. St. Joe's went on a 7-0 run late in the first half, kicked off by sophomore Tyrone Barley's three free throws and capped by a sophomore Pat Carroll elbow jumper at the 5:35 mark. Despite shooting just 32% from the floor in the first half, the Hawks went into the locker room with a 28-23 lead. Sophomore guard Delonte West poured in 11 points in the half. ODU fought back to tie the score at 30 early in the second half, but Saint Joseph's went on a 9-1 run in the next 90 seconds to break away from their Colonial Athletic Association foes. A Nelson steal led to a West fast-break layup and Carroll knocked down two threes to send the Fieldhouse crowd of 3,022 into a frenzy. The Hawks stretched their lead to as many as 15 on a Barley three-pointer at the 7:19 mark. A Monarch 5-0 mini-run kept the game close before All-American candidate Nelson scored the Hawks' final eight points to seal the win. The Chester, Pa. product shot 7-14 from the floor and a perfect 6-6 from the charity stripe for a game high 21-points. West added 13 and a game-high nine rebounds, while Carroll shot 3-for-4 from long range on his way to 11 points. Marsh led Old Dominion with 16 points on 6-of-12 shooting, while Alex Loughton added 14 and a team high seven boards. Saint Joseph's suffocating defense, led by perimeter pressure of West, held ODU leading scorer Rasheed Wright to just three points on 1-of-12 shooting. The Hawks return to the court on Thursday, December 5, when they host visiting Boston University. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. Daily News story | Inquirer story