Game Info: Monday, January 19, 2026 - 3:00 p.m.
Location: Siegel Center - Richmond, Va.
TV: CBS Sports Network | Listen: sjuhawks.com | Live Stats: sjuhawks.com | Saint Joseph's Game Notes | VCU Game Notes

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Opening Tip
Saint Joseph's makes its second trip to Central Virginia in eight days, facing A-10 preseason favorite VCU on Monday, January 19. Tipoff from the Siegel Center is at 3:00 p.m. with the game to air on CBS Sports Network.

What A difference!    
After the January 3 game against Davidson, things did not look good for SJU in conference play as the Hawks were languishing in a tie for the bottom spot at 0-2. The past 11 days have seen renewed energy as the Hawks went 3-0, including their first road win of the season. The work has vaulted SJU from being one of a handful of winless teams in the A-10 to a tie for fourth place as we pass the quarter mark of the season.

Double-Double Bonanza    
While last year may have been an anomaly with Saint Joseph's recording 13 double-doubles, coming into Atlantic 10 play, the Hawks had just one on the season. That one belonged to Justice Ajogbor who delivered 10 points and 11 rebounds in the Big 5 Classic against Temple on December 6. The last three games, however, have seen a surge in double-doubles with four of them as Derek Simpson and Dasear Haskins each have two. For each player, they are the first such games of their careers. Simpson's efforts against Duquesne and Richmond marked the first time a St. Joe's player had double-doubles in back-to-back contests since Rasheer Fleming on January 3 and 8, 2025. Haskins' work on Wednesday against St. Bonaventure was one of the best games of his career, setting personal bests in points (16) and rebounds (11).

Knocking Them Down    
St. Joe's returned to its early season form, connecting on 14-of-16 attempts at the free throw line against St. Bonaventure. The 87.5 percent rate matches a season-high for the Hawks, equaling the mark versus Coppin State on December 9. It has been a good shooting season overall at the line for SJU as it is second in the A-10 and 37th nationally in free throw percentage at 76.6. Individually, Derek Simpson is fifth in the Atlantic 10 at 90.5 percent. Anthony Finkley (82.6) and Austin Williford (80.0) are also among the conference leaders.

Being Possessive    
While the overall number for the game was higher than in recent contests, the trend for Saint Joseph's improving in the turnover category continued as SJU gave the ball up just two times in the second half against St. Bonaventure. In conference games, the Hawks have turned the ball over just 10.4 times per game, a mark that would rank third in the A-10. Included in the stretch was a season-low six turnovers at Saint Louis on December 31. This improvement follows a nine-game stretch where St. Joe's coughed up the rock 13.9 times a contest, which was last in the conference.

Steady As It Goes    
Few players on the Hawks this season have been as consistent on a game-by-game basis as Dasear Haskins. Particularly in the last 10 games, the redshirt sophomore has scored in double figures in eight of those contests and is averaging 11.7 points and 7.4 rebounds per game. His overall numbers have nearly doubled from last season when he posted 5.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per outing on his way to A-10 All-Rookie Team honors.

Scouting Report    

• VCU is 12-6 overall and is 3-2 in the Atlantic 10 following an 84-75 win at Rhode Island on Wednesday. The Rams were picked to win the conference in the A-10 preseason poll.
• Terrence Hill Jr. leads the offense for VCU even while coming off the bench at 14.3 points per game, followed closely by Lazar Djokovic at 13.7 per night. Jadrian Tracey nets 10.1 a contest and three-time A-10 Rookie of the Week Nyk Lewis tallies 9.5 points an outing. Djokovic tops the Rams at 5.6 rebounds a game. Four players have 38 or more assists, led by Tracey with 42.
• VCU shoots well at all levels, connecting at nearly 47 percent from the floor, ranking in the top 55 nationally at 36.6 percent from beyond the arc and is above 74 percent at the free throw line. While Hill provides most of the scoring punch, the Rams get more than just his contributions from their reserves as they are eighth in NCAA D1 with 37.22 bench points per game.
• Though they are few, a couple areas in which VCU has struggled this season are its three-point defense and sending opponents to the line. The Rams are ninth in the A-10, allowing 34.2 percent from beyond the arc. They are also 11th in the conference, committing 18.1 fouls per game, resulting in 388 free throws against, the second highest mark in the league.
• Phil Martelli Jr. is in his first season at VCU following two years at Bryant. He led the Bulldogs to back-to-back 20-win seasons and an America East title last year.

All-Time Series    
Monday is the 19th meeting between the Hawks and the Rams with VCU holding a 13-5 advantage. St. Joe's is looking to snap an eight-game losing streak to the Rams, dating to January 3, 2018 and is trying for its first-ever win at the Siegel Center.

Last Time Against VCU    
Rasheer Fleming had 16 points and 14 rebounds, but Saint Joseph's was downed 78-69 by VCU on January 17, 2025. In addition to Fleming's output, Erik Reynolds II had 12 points and Derek Simpson netted 11. SJU also committed a season-low six turnovers. An extended 20-10 run allowed the Rams to open a 30-20 lead with six minutes remaining in the first half. St. Joe's was able to tie the game on a trey by Simpson with 6:21 remaining in the contest, but VCU scored the next six points to effectively put the game away.

Unconventional Success    
SJU took just six free throws against Richmond, its second lowest total of the season overall. It is just the third time in the last 20 seasons that the Hawks won a game while attempting six or fewer shots at the line, along with their games against American (6) on December 6, 2023 and Loyola Chicago (2) on December 22, 2018. Saint Joseph's has also won two NCAA Tournament games with fewer than six shots at the line, beating Texas Tech in 2004 with five shots and upsetting No. 1 DePaul in 1981 with just four tries at the line. Coming into Sunday's game, St. Joe's was averaging 21.6 free throw attempts per game.

Special Delivery    
With his 11 assists against Duquesne, Derek Simpson moved into some select territory for the Hawks. He became the 13th player since 2004-05 to record double figures in assists for a game. In total, the feat has been accomplished 20 times in the last two decades with Jordan Hall (2020-22) leading the way with 10 or more dimes five times.

Welcome To The Club    
When he hit his second three-pointer of the game on Sunday, Derek Simpson became a member of the 1,000-point club. The points are a cumulative total between his time at Saint Joseph's and at Rutgers. He is one of 268 active Division I players out of more than 5,600 to reach the mark. It is almost equal numbers at each institution as he scored 507 with the Scarlet Knights and has 517 and counting with the Hawks.

Next Up    
The Hawks return home for a Saturday night, nationally televised showdown against Dayton on January 24. Tipoff from Hagan Arena is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. with the game to air on CBS Sports Network.