Men's Basketball Returns Home To Host Binghamton On Wednesday

11/30/2021 1:31:00 PM

GAMEDAY LINKS
Saint Joseph's: Roster | Schedule | Stats
Binghamton: Roster | Schedule | Stats

THE TIP-OFF
• Saint Joseph's returns from its West Coast trip to host Binghamton on Wednesday at 7 p.m.
• The Hawks are coming off a 77-74 victory over reigning Big East champion Georgetown on Friday in the Paycom Wooden Legacy third place contest.
• Taylor Funk finished with a game-high 29 points, including a tournament record eight three-pointers, versus the Hoyas.
• Ejike Obinna added 17 points against Georgetown.
• Obinna averaged 17.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game at the Paycom Wooden Legacy.
• Jordan Hall was the third Hawk in double figures versus Georgetown, adding 13 points, eight assists and five boards.
• Hall currently ranks 12th nationally, and second in the Atlantic 10, in assists per game (6.3).
• Funk has scored 10 points or more in 24 consecutive games, dating back to December 17, 2020 at Drexel.
• Saint Joseph's is averaging 4.9 more rebounds per game this season (38.7 rpg) compared to last year (33.8 rpg) and currently ranks second in the A-10 in boards per contest.

THE MATCHUP
Series vs. Binghamton: Saint Joseph's leads 1-0
First Meeting: 12/31/13, Saint Joseph's, 71-44
Last Meeting: 12/31/13, Saint Joseph's, 71-44
Coach Lange vs. Binghamton: First Meeting

SAINT JOSEPH'S VERSUS BINGHAMTON
The Hawks and Bearcats meet for just the second time come this Wednesday. Saint Joseph's topped Binghamton in the last meeting as the Hawks were in the midst of a five-game win streak to cap their non-conference slate in the 2013-14 season.
• In the previous meeting, Saint Joseph's closed out the 2013 calendar year by defeating Binghamton, 71-44, in a New Year's Eve matinee at Hagan Arena.
• Langston Galloway had a game-high 20 points, connecting on 6-of-9 from three point range.
• As a team, the Hawks shot 14-of-26 from behind the arc (53.8 percent) and handed out 21 assists on 26 baskets.

FUNK EARNS SECOND BIG 5 WEEKLY HONOR
For the second time this season, Saint Joseph's Taylor Funk was named Big 5 Player of the Week, organization officials announced on Monday. Over two games at the Paycom Wooden Legacy last week, Funk averaged 20.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game, while shooting a blistering 63.6 percent from the floor (14-of-22) and 58.8 percent from three-point range (10-of-17). Funk previously was named Big 5 Player of the Week on November 15.

OBINNA OFF TO CAREER-BEST START
Despite being only six games into the season, starting center Ejike Obinna has made an instant impact for the Hawks as he enters Wednesday averaging a career-high 12.5 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. A three-year letterwinner at Vanderbilt, Obinna came to Hawk Hill as a graduate transfer having averaged 2.9 points and 3.0 rebounds per game for his career. Along with new highs in scoring and rebounding this year, Obinna also has collected the first two double-doubles of his career, earning them against Monmouth and #24 USC.

FUNK SETS PAYCOM WOODEN LEGACY MARK
Lifting the Hawks to a 77-74 victory over Georgetown in the third place game of the Paycom Wooden Legacy, Taylor Funk went 9-11 from the floor, including 8-10 from behind the arc, for a season-high 29 points. In the process, Funk broke the previous tournament record of seven three-pointers set by Evan Roquemore of Santa Clara and Penn's Jordan Dingle.

HAWKS AMONG NATIONAL LEADERS
Taylor Funk enters Wednesday as the national leader in three-pointers per game (4.5), and ranks fourth in total three-point field goals (27), eighth in three-point field goal percentage (.540).

NEXT UP
The Hawks open Big 5 play as they travel to #6 Villanova on Saturday. The game, set for a noon start, will be broadcast nationally on FS1.

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