PHILADELPHIA (2/14/04) -
Jameer Nelson had 20 points and
Delonte West and
Tyrone Barley had 14 points apiece as third-ranked Saint Joseph's ran its record to 22-0 with a 73-59 win over Rhode Island at the standing-room only Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse. The Hawks are 11-0 in the Atlantic 10 while Rhode Island falls to 14-11 and 3-8 in the league.
With the win, Nelson and Barley tie the school record for wins by a four-year class with 90. The Hawks' seniors own a 90-26 record in their four years and can break the mark held by the 1981-82 class with one more victory.
In a physical contest, it took the Hawks until the second half to gain a comfortable double-digit lead. Leading 36-31 at halftime, Saint Joseph's opened the half with a 10-2 run. Back-to-back three-pointers by Pat Carroll gave the Hawks a 49-33 lead with 14:13 to play.
Rhode Island cut the deficit to 49-41 with 10:48 to play, but the Hawks answered with a three-pointer from Barley, his fourth of the day. The Rams made one more run, using a three-pointer from Steve Mello to trim the Hawks' lead to 58-49, but Nelson hit a jumper off a free throw miss to build the lead back to 60-49. Nelson hit two free throws and West scored on a jumper to increase SJU's margin to 65-49 with 5:23 to play.
Barley gave the Hawks a tremendous boost off the bench, with his aggressive, hounding defense and 5-for-6 shooting (4-for-5 from three-point range). West finished the game with solid numbers, adding eight rebounds and nine assists, while Nelson had six assists and six steals.
Hawk coach Phil Martelli was disappointed in his team's effort, despite the win, but praised Barley. "Tyrone Barley gave the maximum effort today. He was tenacious and guarded every possession. He was aggressive and shot the ball extremely well," said the coach.
The Hawk defense forced URI into 21 turnovers and held the Rams to 36 percent shooting in the second half. The Rams dominated the Hawks on the boards, however, holding a 48-26 margin.
Brian Woodward led URI with 19 points and 13 rebounds.
Saint Joseph's goes on the road next to take on Fordham on Wednesday, February 18.
