Game Info: Friday, January 17, 2025 - 7:00 p.m.
Location: Hagan Arena - Philadelphia, Pa.
Tickets |  TV: ESPNU | Listen: sjuhawks.com | Live Stats: sjuhawks.com | Saint Joseph's Game Notes | VCU Game Notes

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Opening Tip
The Saint Joseph's men's basketball team stays at home to take on the VCU Rams in the A-10 Friday Night Showcase on January 17. Tipoff from Hagan Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with the game on ESPNU.

The 300    
While he may not have been be yelling "This is Sparta," as the shot went down, the 300th three-pointer of his career with 5:56 to go in the first half against Loyola Chicago on Saturday put Erik Reynolds II on two exclusive lists. He became the second ever Hawk to record 300 career treys, joining Langston Galloway who delivered 343 from 2011-14. He also became the 12th active Division I player with 300 or more three-pointers. The senior is one of two players on that list to accomplish the feat in four seasons, joining Reyne Smith of Louisville 

Shooting The Lights Out (Part I)    
The Hawks put on a display on Saturday, going 18-for-33 from three-point range against Loyola Chicago. The 18 treys are tied for the second most in a game in program history. SJU delivered 20 triples in an 83-71 win against Temple on January 31, 2004. It is the most treys in a game since also hitting 18 against Dayton on February 24, 2021. The 54.5 percent connect rate is tied for the Hawks highest this season with the team going 12-for-22 against Texas Tech on November 21. This is the fourth highest percentage from beyond the arc in school history in a game where it made 10 or more threes.

Justice Is Served    
It has been an impressive five-game stretch for Justice Ajogbor to end the 2024 calendar year and begin conference play. The transfer from Harvard is posting 8.0 points, 6.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks a contest in his last five outings. Those numbers are up from 4.5 PPG, 2.9 RPG and 1.3 BPG in the first 12 games of the season. The graduate student from Benin City, Nigeria has multiple blocks in six consecutive games, totaling 17 blocks in the span. He has moved up to fifth in the A-10 and 42nd nationally with 29 blocks overall and is 57th in NCAA Division I with 1.71 rejections a contest.

Request Denied    
While Ajogbor leads the way for the St. Joe's in blocked shots, it has been a total team effort for the Hawks. Rasheer Fleming (25) and Erik Reynolds II (10) are both in double figures in swats and seven players overall have five rejections or more. SJU had eight block against the Ramblers. It was the eighth time this season the team turned away seven or more shots in a game. The Hawks rejected 12 Coppin State shots on November 26, a season-high. They also achieved double digits in the 2024-25 opener against Navy. Prior to this season, the last time SJU blocked 10 or more shots in a game was at Duquesne on January 12, 2013.

Protecting The Rim    
Saint Joseph's and Virginia Commonwealth have led the way for most of the season in providing the last line of defense at the basket. They rank first and third in the Atlantic 10 and are eighth and 12th nationally in blocks per game. The Hawks hold an edge, 5.71 to 5.47 blocks a contest. Luke Bamgboye of the Rams is second in the conference at 2.12 swats an outing.

Cleaning The Glass    
Rasheer Fleming enters the Friday night showcase game against VCU second in the conference and 26th nationally at 9.1 rebounds a game. The junior from Camden has been even better at making the opposition go one-and-done, ranking in the top-20 in the country in defensive rebounds a contest at 6.88. His 20 caroms against Texas are tied for the second most in the NCAA this season against a Division I opponent. He has seven games with 10 or more rebounds this season.

Shooting The Lights Out (Part II)    
Fleming hasn't just kept the opposition from taking extra shots, he's also shot the ball well himself, particularly at home. The junior is connecting on 63.6 percent of his shots from the field at Hagan Arena overall and is an eye-popping 21-for-43 from beyond the arc 48.8 percent). Those numbers combined have helped Fleming to average 16.9 points per game at home this season and produce three of his four contests tallying 20 or more.

Scouting Report    
VCU enters play 13-4 overall and is 3-1 in the A-10 following a 78-62 win against Saint Louis on Tuesday. The Rams were picked atop the conference in the preseason poll and are 60th in the NET ratings.

Leading the offense for VCU is Joe Bamisile at 16.6 points per game. Close behind is Max Shulga, who nets 15.4 a night. Phillip Russell and Zeb Jackson are also offensive options, scoring 11.8 and 9.8 and outing, respectively. Philadelphia-are native Jack Clark tops the Rams on the boards at 7.1 per game. Shulga has 69 assists.

The two biggest areas where VCU has excelled have gone hand-in-hand. It is second in the conference and 26th nationally, allowing just 62.5 points per game. In large part, this comes from leading the A-10 in turnovers forced an outing (15.12) and turnover margin (+3.1). As a result, the Rams take 5.9 shots a contest more than their opponents.

One area of concern for VCU is the shooting from deep as it ranks 13th in the A-10 and 290th in NCAA Division I at 31.5 percent from beyond the arc. It has also put teams on the line, committing 17.9 fouls a game, leading to the third most opposition free throws in the league.

Ryan Odom is in his second season as the head coach of the Rams with a record of 37-18. In ten total seasons as a Division I lead mentor, he has a record of 186-114 with five 20-win seasons and took his teams to the NCAA tournament in 2018 (UMBC) and 2023 (Utah State).

All-Time Series    
Friday is the 19th meeting between the Hawks and Rams. VCU holds a 13-5 series advantage and has won seven in a row. The last win for SJU was an 87-81 overtime victory on January 3, 2018.

Last Time Against VCU    
Erik Reynolds scored 18 points, but the Hawks fell to the Rams 66-60 in the semifinals of the Atlantic 10 Championship at Barclays Center in Brooklyn on March 16, 2024. Cameron Brown scored 13 in the contest. Rasheer Fleming had eight points, 12 rebounds, two steals and a block. Both teams shot under 40 percent in the first half before the Rams caught fire and connected on better than 60 percent of their shots in the final 20 minutes.

Good Day Sunshine    
Saturday's win against Loyola Chicago improved SJU to 4-0 this season in day games (tipoff before 5:00 p.m. local time). St. Joe's has an average margin of victory of 18.3 in those contests. The Hawks have five more day games on the schedule with the next one coming on February 1 at Loyola.

Up Next    
The Hawks head on the road for the first of two games, taking on the Davidson Wildcats on Tuesday, January 21. Tipoff from Belk Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with the game broadcast on ESPN+.