BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Three players scored in double figures as the Saint Joseph's men's basketball team held on to defeat the No. 24 Texas Tech Red Raiders 78-77 in the Legends Classic on Thursday night.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Erik Reynolds II led all scorers with 26 points including an impressive 6-for-11 from beyond the arc, the seventh time in his career he has connected on half a dozen threes.
• Xzayvier Brown tallied 20, going 13-for-13 from the free throw line.
• Rasheer Fleming scored 14 with seven rebounds on 5-of-6 shooting.
• The Hawks shot 8-for-13 from beyond the arc in the first half and connected on a season-high 12 in the game.
• It is the first win for SJU against a ranked opponent since November 29, 2023 against No. 18/15 Villanova.

 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• St. Joe's got off to a hot start from the floor, opening a 9-4 lead at the 17:12 mark on Fleming's second trey of the night as part of 3-for-6 opening to the contest.
• The Red Raiders came back and tied the score at 17-17 eight minutes into the frame.
• Saint Joseph's battled back, going on a 14-4 run in a span of 4:02, taking a 31-21 advantage. Brown and Reynolds each accounted for six points in the spurt.
• The Hawks pushed the lead out to as many as 16 before the Red Raiders scored the final six points of the half as St. Joe's took a 45-35 edge into the break.
• Opening the second half, Texas Tech continued its push, chopping the edge to 48-45 in less than six minutes,
• Undaunted, St. Joe's used an 8-3 run to go up by eight, midway through the second stanza. TTU battled back again and took its first lead of the night on a layup with 6:44 left.
• In a game that would go down to the wire, the teams traded baskets in the final four minutes. After a triple by the Red Raiders gave them a 75-74 lead, Anthony Finkley hit a trey of his own 22 seconds later.
• Texas Tech tied the game at 77-77 on a layup with 1:07 to go. Both teams had an empty set with Justice Ajogbor pulling in the rebound off the missed TTU shot and was fouled in the process. After a Red Raiders timeout, he deposited his second free throw for the game-winning point.

 
UP NEXT
The Hawks will take on the Texas Longhorns in the championship game of the Legends Classic on Friday, November 22. Tipoff is scheduled for 9:30 p.m. with the game broadcast on ESPNU.