Game Info: Wednesday, December 31, 2025 - 4:00 p.m. EST
Location: Chaifetz Arena - Saint Louis, Mo.
TV: FanDuel Sports Network/ESPN+ | Listen: sjuhawks.com | Live Stats: sjuhawks.com | Saint Joseph's Game Notes | Saint Louis Game Notes

Social Media
Twitter/X: @sjuhawks_mbb | Instagram: @sjuhawks_mbb

Opening Tip
Saint Joseph's begins Atlantic 10 play, traveling to Saint Louis for a New Year's Eve matchup. Tipoff from Chaifetz Arena is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. EST, with the game airing on ESPN+.

Moving Into Conference Play    
The Hawks begin Atlantic 10 play this week, opening at Saint Louis on December 31. It is a tough schedule early on with the Billikens picked second in the A-10 preseason poll. Also in the first seven conference matchups of the year are preseason No. 1 VCU (Jan. 19), No. 3 Dayton (Jan. 24) and a St. Bonaventure team that has far exceeded expectations thus far with an 11-2 record, coming to Hagan Arena on Jan. 14. The Hawks are also featured on national TV quite a bit to start the year as Davidson (Jan. 3), VCU and Dayton airing on CBS Sports Network and Richmond (Jan. 11) on USA.

No Post-Holiday Letdown    
In recent seasons, the Hawks have fared well in their first game back after Christmas, winning four of their last five games following the holiday break. In those contests, they have averaged 84.8 points per game with an average scoring margin of +22.3. Even the one loss was competitive with it coming by just five points to Saint Louis on December 31, 2022.

Rising To Meet The Moment    
With injuries taking their toll on the Hawks in the past couple of games, St. Joe's has needed players to step up and Khaafiq Myers has answered the call. In the last three games, the redshirt freshman is averaging 12.3 points and 2.7 assists per game. Through his first 10 games of the season, he was tallying 2.1 points and 1.7 dimes per contest. One thing that has remained for Myers throughout the year has been his steady ball-handling with 25 assists and just 11 turnovers, a 2.27:1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Fits Like A Glove    
After missing the two games before the Christmas holiday with an injury, Jaiden Glover-Toscano picked up right where he left off when he took the floor against Arcadia. The sophomore from Brooklyn scored a career-high 29 points, connecting on 6-of-12 shots from beyond the arc. Overall, December saw Glover-Toscano regain the shooting stroke that made him such a highly recruited prospect. He was 17-for-37 from beyond the arc in his last four games, a 45.9 percent clip. In November, he connected on just 31.0 percent (13-of-42) three-point attempts.

Under The Radar    
Much of the talk around the Hawks this season has been the superlative performances of some of the members of the team. Perhaps not being discussed enough has been the consistent play of Dasear Haskins. The redshirt sophomore is averaging 9.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game this season. He already has seven games in double figures, one more than last season when he was on the A-10 All-Rookie Team. In the last five games, he has stepped up the performance even more, averaging 11.6 points and 7.2 boards per contest. During the stretch, he is shooting 55.3 percent from the field (21-for-38) and is 6-for-17 from three-point range after opening the season 5-for-21 from distance.

Team Effort    
St. Joe's wrapped non-conference play 28th nationally and third in the Atlantic 10 with 41.7 rebounds per game. What is notable about that mark is the Hawks do not have a single player pulling in more than 5.8 boards a contest. Derek Simpson leads the team while Dasear Haskins (5.7), Jaiden Glover-Toscano (4.6), Austin Williford (4.5) and Justice Ajogbor (4.2) give SJU five players with four or more rebounds per game. Size hasn't mattered as only Ajogbor stands taller than 6'8" and four of the five are listed as guards on the roster. The +5.8 rebounding margin would be the highest for Saint Joseph's since the 1991-92 team was 6.7 boards per game better than its opponents. That team included Carlin Warley and Bernard Blunt, who are both in the top-20 in program history in rebounds with 1,138 and 734, respectively.

Scouting Report    

• Saint Louis enters the contest 12-1 overall and is coming off a 114-33 win against Division III Principia on Sunday. The Billikens have won six in a row and are receiving votes in the AP poll. Their only loss was by a single point to an 11-2 Stanford team.
• Leading a high-powered offense that has topped the 100-point mark five times this season is Dion Brown at 13.2 points per game. Robbie Avila is netting 12.4 a contest with Amari McCottry coming in at 11.8. Rounding out a quintet of double-figure scorers are Trey Green (11.6) and Quentin Jones (10.2). Brown also leads the team with 6.7 rebounds per game. Avila has 47 assists.
• Saint Louis has excelled in a variety of aspects this season as they rank in the top-20 nationally in 13 different categories. They lead NCAA D1 in rebounding margin (+15.7) and defensive rebounds (32.8). Grabbing the ball and getting out on the run, the Billikens are fifth nationally at 20.54 fastbreak points a contest and are 17th in field goal percentage, shooting 51.7 percent. It isn't just the offense that has been impressive as SLU ranks third in field goal percentage defense (35.8) and ninth in three-point percentage defense (27.2).
• Trying to find an area that Saint Louis has struggled in this year is like searching for a flaw in the Strawn-Wagner Diamond, but if there is one, it is that the Billikens have turned the ball over 13.0 times per game, 12th of 14 teams in the A-10 and 249 nationally.
• Josh Schertz is in his second season as the head coach at SLU and his 18th season as a collegiate head coach overall. He began his head coaching career at Lincoln Memorial where he guided the Railsplitters to five seasons with 30 or more wins and three trips to the Division II Elite Eight.

All-Time Series    
Thursday is the 23rd meeting between the Hawks and Billikens with Saint Louis holding an 18-4 series advantage. In particular, Chaifetz Arena has been a difficult place for St. Joe's to play, as SJU has dropped 10 straight games there with its only win coming in the first game between the two schools in the shadow of the arch in 2006.

Last Time Against Saint Louis    
Erik Reynolds II scored a game-high 25 points as the Hawks avenged a loss from earlier in the season with a 76-63 win against Saint Louis on February 7, 2025 at Hagan Arena. Rasheer Fleming scored 11 with seven rebounds and four blocks. SJU held SLU to just 3-for-15 from three-point range and outrebounded the Billikens 39-28. Saint Louis led the majority of the first half and held a 30-20 advantage with five minutes remaining before the break, but a 12-0 run for Saint Joseph's gave SJU a 32-30 lead at intermission. The Hawks maintained the momentum out of the locker room, scoring 12 of the first 16 points in the second half to take control of the contest.

Towering Over The Competition    
With Justice Ajogbor (6'10"), Jaden Smith (6'11") and Steven Solano (7'0"), the Hawks' roster is loaded with height. Only eight of St. Joe's opponents have three or more players who are 6'10" or taller, led by five on Duquesne's roster. Two teams – Princeton and Rutgers-Camden – do not have a player on their squad that is taller than 6'9".

Next Up    
Saint Joseph's begins the 2026 calendar portion of its schedule at home, hosting the Davidson Wildcats on Saturday, January 3. Tipoff from Hagan Arena is scheduled for 6:00 p.m., with the game to air nationally on CBS Sports Network.