BROOKLYN, N.Y. – On the back of 26 points and nine rebounds from senior Isaiah Miles and double-figure efforts from senior Aaron Brown and graduate student Papa Ndao, the Saint Joseph's men's basketball team locked up its second trip to the Atlantic 10 Championship Game in three seasons with an 82-79 win over top-seeded Dayton at the Barclays Center on Saturday afternoon.
Saint Joseph's will play for its second Atlantic 10 Tournament title in three seasons on Sunday afternoon against the winner of the semifinal matchup between second-seeded VCU and sixth-seeded Davidson. Tip-off is set for 12:30 p.m. on CBS and 990 AM.
For all ticket and game information, go to A-10 Championship Central
Miles set a new program record with his 33rd double-figure scoring effort of the season, eclipsing the mark set by Jameer Nelson in 2004 and matched by Miles and junior DeAndre' Bembry on Friday. Brown finished with 16 points, Ndao scored 14 off the bench, and Bembry added nine points, seven rebounds, and eight assists.
Saint Joseph's (26-7) scored the first six points of the second half, opening a 43-30 lead with 18:08 to play, but the Flyers whittled the margin down with a 14-5 run and cut it to three, 55-52, at the 8:39 mark. Ndao went on to score SJU's next 11 points, hitting three three-pointers and a layup over the Hawks' next six possessions to push the lead back to nine at 66-57 with just over five minutes remaining.
Dayton (25-7) cut the lead back down to six, 66-60, on the next possession, but Bembry answered with a lay-in before Brown connected with one of his own to extend the advantage back to double digits at 70-60 with 2:56 to play. The Flyers answered with a basket and then looked to cut the lead back down to six, but Miles took a charge on a dunk attempt by Kendall Pollard and Brown hit a pair of free throws at the other end to restore the 10-point lead.
The teams traded baskets until the final minute. Bembry converted a pair of free throws with 54 seconds remaining to make it a 78-66 game before Dyshawn Pierre hit a three to cut it to single digits with 51 seconds left. Brown hit a pair of free throws before Scoochie Smith did the same for the Flyers to keep the margin at nine with 27 seconds to play.
After UD's Charles Cooke hit one-of-two from the line and Miles canned a pair, the Flyers mounted a furious rally over the game's final 20 seconds. Cooke drained a three with 19 seconds left, and after a turnover, Pollard laid it in to cut the Hawk edge to five at 82-77 with 12 seconds remaining. Kyle Davis drove the lane with five seconds to play, looking to make it a one-possession game, but Bembry came up with a block to preserve the lead. Pierre ended the game with a layup at the buzzer to set the final score.
A day after putting up 51 points in the second half, the Hawks started cold, missing their first six shots and falling behind, 11-4, with 13:37 to go in the first half. Brown kick-started an 8-0 Hawk run with a three-pointer; Miles followed with a jumper and Bembry converted a three-point play to give the Hawks their first lead, 12-11, with just under 12 minutes left in the half.
After a back-and-forth stretch, the Flyers hit consecutive threes to open up a six-point lead, 24-18, with six and a half minutes to play in the frame. Saint Joseph's answered with a 12-0 spurt over the next three-plus minutes, powered by seven points from Miles and five from sophomore James Demery, to take a six-point lead of its own at 30-24.
The Hawks pushed the lead to nine, 35-26, after a three from Ndao and a pair of free throws from sophomore Shavar Newkirk, with 1:39 remaining in the half. Pierre and Smith hit consecutive layups to bring Dayton back within five, but Miles converted two free throws with 28 seconds left to send the Hawks into the locker room with a 37-30 halftime lead.
"I thought in the beginning, we were a little bit quick offensively. We were too confident. We had to settle in and, obviously in the second half, Papa Ndao gave us big production," said Martelli. "We have to make sure we get the right amount of rest, and we're going to need this crowd tomorrow."
