PHILADELPHIA (03/05/03) - It was everything a college basketball game should be - minus the ending. It began hours before tip-off with the Saint Joseph's student body assembling for a pep-rally and marching loudly across campus to the Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse, filing in and jamming the student section bleachers 90 minutes before the game was slated to begin. The attendance was listed at 3,200, but that only includes those seated. Another couple hundred were standing anywhere they could get a decent view of the court - they piled in the aisles, in the tunnels, and in the corners of the ancient, yet cozy gym. The capacity crowd generated enough noise to easily shake the visiting Musketeers, and that was even before the game tipped off. Throw in an emotional senior night ceremony, as head coach Phil Martelli embraced his son Phil, Jr. at midcourt, and you have all the settings for a remarkable collegiate basketball game. And that is even before the game started. Like a heavyweight boxing match, the two Atlantic 10 rivals traded punches throughout the entire two halves and overtime period. The two All-American candidates, the Hawks' Jameer Nelson and Xavier's David West, proved just how valuable they are to their respective teams by countering each other, clutch basket after clutch basket. Nelson would dribble circles around the Musketeer defenders to create just enough breathing room to get his silky smooth jump shot off. West would battle in the paint, combining the mixture of brute strength and low-post finesse to frustrate the SJU big men. In the end, however, it was West who threw the knockout blow, as the national player of the year candidate scored 10 points in the overtime period to propel #11 Xavier (23-4, 14-1 A-10) over host Saint Joseph's (21-5, 11-4), 88-80. He showed his repertoire of post moves with the score tied at 74 in overtime, resulting in three consecutive baskets, giving the visitors a 80-76 lead that proved to be enough to escape with victory. "Two very quality teams in a tremendous atmosphere," Martelli said. "We got maximum effort out there." Nelson, the Hawks' maestro, orchestrated one of his gutsiest outings of his storied career in front of a full contingent of NBA scouts. He did all he could to lead his team to victory, and then some. His 33 points was just one short of a career high as he hoisted up 34 shots, more shots than the pass-first point guard would normally take in a week of games. "I don't think I ever took 34 shots in a practice, but I did what I had to do,'' Nelson said. "I was a little fatigued in the second half, but this was a big-time game. I didn't want to let my team down.'' Every time the Hawk offense hit a rut, it was Nelson who would elude his defender and get a shot off. With leading scorer Delonte West on the pine nursing his stress fracture, it was Saint Joseph's best chance to win - let its All-American carry the team to victory. Junior Tyrone Barley again stepped up in West's absence, but was the only other Hawk to reach double-digits with 14 points. Down 14 points with 10:15 to go in the second half, it looked as though the nationally-ranked Musketeers would run away with their 14th consecutive victory. But anyone that actually believed that didn't consult with Nelson or the rest of the Hawks. Nelson kicked off the run with a three-ball and followed that with an elbow jumper to bring SJU within six. He then fed sophomore Pat Carroll (eight points) for a trey and a Barley steal and layup brought the capacity crowd to decibel levels that have never been reached before. That noise record held for only a few minutes. After the media timeout, Barley canned a three and a Carroll theft and subsequent lay-up tied the game at 59 and sent the Hawk faithful into an eruption that may have reached all the way to Center City. The teams would then trade baskets for the next four minutes, but a Nelson 15-footer followed by sophomore John Bryant's two charity tosses gave SJU a 71-67 lead with just 39 seconds to go. A West layup cut the lead to just 71-69 with :24 to go and Xavier fouled freshman Chet Stachitas on the ensuing inbounds play. The rookie couldn't convert on the front end of a one-and-one with :22 seconds to go and XU's point guard Lionel Chalmers (13 points) connected on a fade-away 16-footer with Barley breathing down his neck with seven seconds to go. Nelson's half-court heave would miss the mark, sending the epic into overtime. In the extra frame, it was all West, who ended with 25 points and 14 rebounds. Down 85-80 in the closing seconds, the Hawk student body, after believing a foul call was missed, proceeded to throw objects onto the court. It prompted XU head coach Thad Matta to pull his bench off the court and a technical foul was assessed to Saint Joseph's. After a game that featured everything a college basketball game should, it left a bitter taste in the mouths of all the fans in the building. "It's unfortunate. They are young kids that are highly energetic and they had a lot to do with us getting back in the game. The ending shouldn't take away from their backing of their schoolmates and the greatness of the game," Martelli said. All five Xavier starters reached double-figures, led by West's 25. Freshman Dedrick Finn scored 18 points and Anthony Myles chipped in with 17. Saint Joseph's received strong efforts from its frontcourt. Senior center Alexandre Sazonov played his final game on Hawk Hill with emotion, scoring six points and adding five boards in just 13 minutes. Freshman center Dwayne Jones (12 rebounds) and sophomore John Bryant (eight points) were instrumental down the stretch in bringing SJU back. Prior to the game, the Hawks honored not only their three senior players, Sazonov, Martelli, Jr., and Mike Farrelly, but also its managers Bobby Hughes, Ernest Pearsall and Colleen Mann and the man inside the nation's most recognizable mascot, Steve Klarich. The Crimson and Gray return to action on Saturday when it travels to Massachusetts for the regular season finale. Tip off is noon.