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Saint Joseph's University

Saint Joseph's Hawks
Saint Joseph's Hawks
HAWKS MOVE UP TO 13TH IN AP POLL

Men's Basketball SJU Athletic Communications

WEST SCORES 22 TO LEAD #10 HAWKS TO NINTH STRAIGHT OVER PACIFIC, 73-55

PHILADELPHIA (12/27/03) - Delonte West scored 22 points and Jameer Nelson added 15 to lead 10th-ranked Saint Joseph's to a 73-55 win over Pacific before a sold-out crowd at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse. The Hawks ran their record to 9-0 for the best start since the 1964-65 season. West made 8-of-13 from the field and grabbed six rebounds, while Nelson added seven rebounds and six assists. Chet Stachitas matched his career-high with 14 points on 5-for-7 shooting, making 4-of-6 from three-point range. The Hawks struggled through their worst shooting half of the season in the opening period (35.1 percent), but West scored 10 points in the final four minutes of the half as SJU took a 35-27 lead into halftime. West and Chet Stachitas keyed the Hawks in the early going of the second half, combining to score the team's first nine points to give SJU a 44-33 lead with 15:29 to play. But Pacific went on a 9-3 run, keyed by four points from Jasko Korajkic, to close to within 47-42. Nelson then started another spurt by the Hawks, scoring 10 points in a span of four minutes as Saint Joseph's built its lead back up to 59-47 with 6:52 remaining. Dwayne Lee hit a three-pointer and Nelson fed Stachitas on the wing for another three-pointer as the Hawks put the game out of reach, 65-51, with 4:37 to play. "We're a jump-shooting team and if our jump shots are not going early, we're going to get off to a sputtering start," said Hawk coach Phil Martelli. "Chet Stachitas was a huge factor for us in the second half. He's a very thoughtful player - he knows how to play the game." The Hawks converted 44.4 percent from the field in the second half, including a 7-for-13 effort (53.8 percent) from three-point range. Pacific struggled from behind the arc in the second half, hitting just 1-of-6. Christian Maraker led Pacific with 15 points and eight rebounds and Tyler Newton added 11 for the Tigers, who fell to 4-6. The Hawks close out 2003 with a trip to Delaware on Tuesday evening, December 30. Game time is 8 p.m. for the contest which will be televised by CN8.
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