PHILADELPHIA – The Saint Joseph's men's basketball team shot better than 56 percent in a 52-point second half as the Hawks downed the Duquesne Dukes 76-72 on Wednesday night.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Erik Reynolds II led SJU with 20 points in the game, his eighth game this year with 20 or more points.
- Xzayvier Brown scored 16 with nine rebounds and five assists, making 10-of-11 attempts at the free throw line.
- Rasheer Fleming tallied 13 with seven rebounds. Dasear Haskins added 10.
- Justice Ajogbor tied a season-high with four blocks and now has multiple blocks in 10 consecutive games.
- St. Joe's made 29 free throws in the game, its most since delivering 36 against UIC on November 28, 2018.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- It was a slow start for both teams, but the Hawks found their rhythm first, scoring seven in a row to take a 9-2 lead five minutes into the contest.
- The Dukes battled their way back into the contest, tying the game at 9-9 as the two teams played a close remainder of the half.
- After Duquesne pulled ahead by five, a free throw from Ajogbor and then a steal by Anthony Finkley, leading to a layup by Haskins brought the Hawks to within a pair at intermission.
- Saint Joseph's went to work quickly in the second half, taking the lead less than 90 seconds in on a dunk from Fleming.
- The Hawks continued to shoot the ball well, opening the stanza 6-for-9 from the floor, going up 40-38 at the first media timeout.
- From there, SJU went on an extended run, outscoring the Dukes 23-11 in the next 11 minutes.
- Duquesne didn't go away, never letting the Hawks pull ahead by more than 12, but St. Joe's was able to hold DU off, making 13-of-14 free throws in the final 2:14.
UP NEXT
It's a quick turnaround for the Hawks who travel to Loyola Chicago for an afternoon game on Saturday, February 1. Tipoff from Joseph J. Gentile Arena is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. ET with the game to air on CBS Sports Network.
