Jan. 16, 2013

PHILADELPHIA - The Saint Joseph's men's basketball team (9-5; 1-1 A-10) will visit new Atlantic 10 member #22/19 VCU (14-3; 2-0) on Thursday evening at 9 p.m. The game will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network.

The game will be broadcast on SportsRadio 610 WIP with Matt Martucci and Joe Lunardi calling the action. Audio streaming of the game will be available on SJUHawks.com free of charge. LISTEN LIVE

Fans can also access the broadcast on their mobile devices by going to IRadioPhilly.com

GAME NOTES

• Saint Joseph's has won four of the last five games.

• The Hawks got back on the winning track, defeating Duquesne, 74-66, on Saturday. Langston Galloway scored 16 points and Ronald Roberts had a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.

• Saint Joseph's junior forward Halil Kanacevic will not be available for the second straight game due to a death in his family. Kanacevic's maternal uncle passed away last week and he accompanied his parents to their homeland of Montenegro. He is questionable for the Penn game on Saturday.

• This is the first meeting with VCU since 1982, and just the third meeting all-time.

• Saint Joseph's RPI is 68, ranking the Hawks seventh among Atlantic 10 teams.

AST TIME OUT: Leading wire-to-wire, Saint Joseph's downed Duquesne, 74-66, at the Palumbo Center. Ronald Roberts had his sixth double-double (13 pts, 11 rebs) of the year while Langston Galloway scored 16 points. Carl Jones had 15 points, Chris Wilson added 12 and C.J. Aiken had a season-high seven blocks. Galloway hit a jumper at 2:04 to give the Hawks a 68-64 lead. Duquesne missed on its next possession and Galloway banked in an eight-foot shot with 1:04 to play to give SJU a 70-64 cushion. Saint Joseph's then iced it by going 4-for-8 from the foul line in the final minute. In the first half, Saint Joseph's went on a 12-4 run to take an 18-10 lead midway through the opening period. Daryus Quarles hit a three-pointer and Galloway scored on a fast break to give the Hawks a 23-12 edge. Duquesne answered back with six straight points but Quarles hit consecutive three-pointers and Roberts dunked a pass from Wilson to put the Hawks up by 33-22. The Hawks connected on 7-of-13 three-pointers in the first half, led by a 3-for-3 effort from Quarles.

FIGHTING THEM OFF: Saint Joseph's never trailed at Duquesne and fought off all of the Dukes' comeback attempts. The Hawks led by as much as 11 points in the first half, and in the second half, Duquesne tied it once and came within one to two points on four occasions. But SJU answered each time, with key baskets from Papa Ndao, Ronald Roberts and Langston Galloway when the Dukes came within a point or two.

BLOCK PARTY: C.J. Aiken has upped his number of blocked shots per game recently, averaging 4.5 per game in the past four contests. Aiken posted a season-high six in the win at Drexel and then bettered that with seven at Duquesne. Overall, he is averaging 3.1 on the season and has moved up to seventh in the nation.

ON FIRE: Sophomore Chris Wilson led the Hawks to a blazing start versus Butler as he started the game making four straight three-pointers. Langston Galloway chipped in with one to give SJU a 15-9 lead in the first four minutes. Wilson ended the game with a career-high five three's on 5-for-7 shooting. Entering that contest, Wilson was shooting just 7-for-30 from beyond the arc. He is now converting 14-of-44 on the year.

AND ONE: Ronald Roberts had three conventional three-point plays against Butler and went 4-for-5 from the foul line. The junior has improved his free-throw shooting and has made 13-for-19 (68.4%) in the last four games. Overall, he is converting 65.3 percent on the year.

HOLDING ON: The Hawks have had some trouble holding on to second-half leads this year, similar to last season when they had the lead in 11 of the 14 losses. This season, Saint Joseph's has held second-half leads in four of the five losses. Against Butler, Saint Joseph's owned a 40-35 halftime lead and had the edge with 8:48 to play. Butler would go on a 7-0 run and take the lead for good in the 72-66 defeat of SJU. The others, with the time of SJU's last lead in ( ), are: Florida State (14:50); Villanova (1:08), Fairfield (:30).

FOR STARTERS: The Hawks have used three different starting lineups due to injuries and other reasons. Here are the lineups and the number of games for each, along with the team's corresponding record: Aiken, Roberts, Kanacevic, Galloway, Wilson - 4 (3-1) Aiken, Roberts, Kanacevic, Galloway, Jones - 3 (1-2) Aiken, Roberts, Galloway, Wilson, Jones - 7 (5-2)

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL: SJU is averaging just 7.0 turnovers per game in the past two contests, cutting them after a season-high 16 in the win over Morgan State. SJU averages 11.4 per game overall.

NO REST FOR THE WEARY: Tonight's 9 p.m. start time creates a quick turnaround for the Hawks as they will bus back to Philadelphia after the game and have one day to prepare for Saturday's 5 p.m. game with Penn at The Palestra.

START IT UP: Carl Jones has now started 10 consecutive games after missing the first two and coming off the bench in two. As a starter, Jones is averaging 14.1 points per game. Backcourt mate Langston Galloway is averaging a team-high 15.8 points in the last 10 when Jones is starting.

DEPLETED TROOPS: There have only been two games this season - Morgan State and Butler - in which Phil Martelli has had all 15 players available to play. Sophomore Evan Maschmeyer was sidelined for the first 11 games because of a fractured hand. Halil Kanacevic has missed a total of four thus far, Carl Jones missed the first two with a disciplinary reason and Isaiah Miles was sidelined for one with a sprained ankle.

LOOKING AHEAD: The Hawks have a quick turnaround and play host to Big 5 rival Penn at The Palestra on Saturday in a 5 p.m. game. That will be the first of three consecutive games in Philadelphia, as SJU will host St. Bonaventure (Jan. 23) and Xavier (Jan. 26) at Hagan Arena.