SAINT JOSEPH'S HAWKS (7-8; 2-2 A-10) at MASSACHUSETTS MINUTEMEN (9-8; 2-2 A-10)
January 14, 2018 • 5 p.m. • NBCSN
Mullins Center • Amherst, Mass.
WATCH – NBCSN (Rick Allen, Tim McCormick) | NBCSports.com
LISTEN - Talk Radio 1210 WPHT AM (Matt Martucci, Joe Lunardi) | SJUHawks.com
LIVE STATS | @SJUHawks_MBB | GAME NOTES
PROBABLE HAWK STARTERS
F- James Demery (Sr.) – 17.3 ppg, 5.4 rpg
F- Pierfrancesco Oliva (R-So.) – 6.6 ppg, 7.5 rpg
F- Taylor Funk (Fr.) – 13.6 ppg, 4.5 rpg
G- Chris Clover (Jr.) – 8.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg
G- Shavar Newkirk (Sr.) – 17.6 ppg, 3.5 apg
ABOUT THE HAWKS
• Saint Joseph's saw its two-game winning streak end in dramatic fashion as the Hawks lost at George Mason, 81-79, on a three-pointer with one second to play
• The Hawks are looking to stop a three-game road losing streak, as they have lost at George Mason, George Washington and Temple
• Freshman Taylor Funk tops the Atlantic 10 in three-point field goals made per game (3.1) and ranks 28th in the nation
• James Demery has scored in double figures in all 15 games and is averaging a career-high 17.3 points per game. The senior is averaging 19.3 ppg in Atlantic 10 contests and was named the Big 5 Co-Player of the Week for Jan. 8
• Leading scorer Shavar Newkirk (17.6) also tops SJU in assists with 3.5 per game while Pierfrancesco Oliva is averaging 3.2 assists and a team-best 7.5 rebounds
HAWKS' STREAK: 1 loss
SERIES vs. MASSACHUSETTS: UMass leads 37-34
LAST TIME VS. UMASS
• The teams last met in the First Round of the 2017 A-10 Tournament in Pittsburgh, with UMass scoring a 70-63 win
• James Demery had a game-high 21 points and 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the year. Charlie Brown scored 14 points, hitting 4-of-7 three pointers and Nick Robinson had a career-high seven assists
• Trailing 58-39 with 8:11 to play, the Hawks went on a 14-0 run to cut the deficit to 58-53 with 4:12 remaining, but the Minutemen shot 10-for-14 from the line in the final three minutes to seal the win
LUCKY CLOVER
• Junior Chris Clover has scored in double figures in five of the last nine games, with a season-high of 19 pts at George Mason
• He scored 14 points in the first half and made a career-high eight field goals in the game
• Clover's basket with :05 left looked to be the gamewinner for the Hawks until George Mason's three-pointer at :01 clinched the win
• Clover has scored double figures in five of the last nine games; he posted 17 points in games vs. Bucknell and Temple
CLOSE CALLS
• The Hawks have been involved in a handful of close games lately, with two of the last three coming down to the wire:
- SJU held a 75-71 lead over VCU with under two minutes to play, but the Rams tied the game, 76-76, with 10 seconds left. The Hawks missed on their next possession and VCU had one more chance and hit a shot after time expired. SJU eventually won the game in overtime, 78-71
- At George Mason, SJU scored with :05 left to take its first lead of the half; GMU went the length of the court and won the game on a three-pointer with :01 left
• The average winning margin for the last five games is 5.2 points
BALANCED ATTACK
• The Hawks had five players score double figures against VCU, marking the first time that occurred this season
MAGIC NUMBER
• Shavar Newkirk can surpass the 900-career point mark today as he enters the game with 899 points. The senior has played in 94 career games
NEXT UP
• Jan. 17 vs. Dayton, 6:30 p.m., CBSSN - TICKETS
• Jan. 20 vs. Fordham, 1 p.m., A-10 Network - TICKETS
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