It's not about winning or losing, or points or rebounds, or steals or assists.

Some nights, it's about history, and legacy.

On Tuesday night, the Hawks chiseled their names among the all-timers. Dispatching a completely overmatched St. Bonaventure squad with ruthless efficiency, Saint Joseph's notched its 27th win against nary a loss, becoming the first team since UNLV in 1991 to achieve regular-season perfection.

In the program's storied history, no Hawks team has ever won that many games.

Sold-out Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse was packed to the rafters, and a national television audience saw - and heard - more than 3,200 people cheer with passion and graciousness.

Bookending the game were celebrations. Beforehand, seniors Jameer Nelson, Tyrone Barley, Brian Jesiolowski, and Rob Hartshorn, Hawk mascot Chris Bertolino, and basketball operations manager Caitlin Ryan earned thanks and applause for their hard work and success. Afterward, head coach Phil Martelli, Barley, and Nelson addressed the crowd, and university officials attempted to retire Nelson's No. 14 - but the senior sensation wasn't ready to part with it yet.

"We've got nine games to go," he told the many, many fans who remained to shower the team with affection following the final buzzer. "I asked [Martelli] to keep it on my back and not put it up till the end of the season. We've got unfinished business here."

Nelson's thoughts reflected a common theme. To a person, the Hawks expressed gratitude for the love, but talked about those nine games - three victories would earn Saint Joseph's the Atlantic 10 championship, while six more wins would mean an NCAA title.

"Your passion fueled us," Martelli told fans. "We feel your passion wherever we are. There's no one who can match your belief in your school and your basketball program."

As Martelli did, Barley thanked his fellow players before moving on to his head coach and then the fans.

The post-game celebration ended with the team cutting down the Fieldhouse nets. Martelli referred to it as practice, for Dayton, site of the Atlantic 10 Tournament, and East Rutherford, N.J., where the East Regionals will be played. It was an emotional close to a special night. Yet no one in the Fieldhouse Tuesday doubted that the win was a beginning, not an ending.