Game Info: Saturday, January 24, 2026 - 2:00 p.m.
Location: Hagan Arena - Philadelphia, Pa.
Tickets | TV/Online: CBS Sports Network | Listen: sjuhawks.com | Live Stats: sjuhawks.com | Saint Joseph's Game Notes | Dayton Game Notes

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Opening Tip
Saint Joseph's returns home for a key mid-season A-10 showdown, facing Dayton on Saturday, January 24. Tipoff is at 2:00 p.m. with the game to air on CBS Sports Network and the CBS Sports App.

Lighting It Up    
Since the start of A-10 play, Derek Simpson has been on a tear for the Hawks. The senior from Mount Laurel, N.J., is averaging 16.3 points per game, 11th in A-10 play, 5.3 assists a contest and has a 3.2:1 assist-to-turnover ratio. In Atlantic 10 contests, he has the first two double-doubles of his career and has topped the 20-point mark twice, including a career high 27 at VCU on Monday. He was also named the A-10 Player of the Week on January 12.

Overall Improvement    
While Simpson's numbers may have the most significant uptick, the entire team has improved since the start of conference play. The Hawks are scoring two more points per game and have gone up in overall shooting (43.5 percent to 41.8 percent) and three-point shooting (31.5 percent to 27.4 percent). Even with Monday's performance included, SJU is averaging half a turnover less a contest as well.

Vintage Performance    
Justice Ajogbor had quite the game protecting the rim against VCU. The graduate student recorded six blocks against the Rams, a season-high. Previously, he had four blocks each against Penn, Temple and Delaware State. It is the sixth time he has five or more blocks in a game in a St. Joe's uniform and was the 20th occasion that he swatted three or more shots for the Crimson and Gray. Ajogbor is now nine blocks behind former teammate and current Phoenix Sun Rasheer Fleming for ninth on the Hawks' career list

Knocking On The Door    
With his performance against VCU, Ajogbor has significantly closed the gap on the active career blocks list. He has 223 career rejections, placing him two behind Justin Abson of Georgia who has 225. The 14 blocks in six A-10 games have vaulted Ajogbor past Felix Okpara from Tennessee who has 220. The Benin City, Nigeria native is one of four active D1 players with 200 or more blocks as Miles Rubin from Loyola Chicago joined the list with his second block against Davidson on January 7.

Like A Rock    
Few players on the Hawks this season have been as consistent on a game-by-game basis as Dasear Haskins. Particularly in the last 11 games, the redshirt sophomore has scored in double figures in eight of those contests and is averaging 11.6 points and 7.5 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    

• Dayton enters play 14-5 overall and is 5-1 in the A-10 following a 67-64 setback at La Salle on Wednesday. The Flyers were picked third in the Atlantic 10 preseason poll and received three first place votes in a tight race at the top.
• Leading the offense for Dayton is Javon Bennett who is averaging 16.5 points per game, ranking third in the A-10. Also scoring in double figures are De'Shayne Montgomery (14.7) and Amaël L'Etang (11.1). Keonte Jones leads the team in rebounding at 5.9 per game. Bennett tops the team with 52 assists.
• The Flyers will get up on you on defense as they rank sixth nationally in turnovers forced a game (16.7) and 11th in steals per contest (9.8). They also get to the line a lot, sitting 11th in NCAA Division I with 19.8 free throws made per game and are 21st in attempts at 26.2.
• The opposition can find points against Dayton by crashing the glass and getting second-chance looks as UD is last in the A-10 in rebounds per game at 33.0 and is 232nd nationally with 24.0 defensive boards an outing. It is also very dependent on its starting lineup, ranking 307th with 17.3 bench points per night and will give up some looks from distance, sitting in the bottom 100 nationally at 35.1 percent defense on three-pointers.
• Anthony Grant is in his ninth season at the helm of his alma mater with a record of 186-88 in Southwest Ohio. In 18 seasons as a collegiate head coach overall, he has amassed 379 wins and has led his teams to six NCAA tournament and eight NIT bids.

All-Time Series    
Saturday is the 50th meeting all-time between the Hawks and Flyers that dates to the 1939-40 season with Dayton holding a 28-21 series lead. St. Joe's win in the A-10 quarterfinals last season snapped a five-game skid against Dayton. It isn't uncommon for the teams to meet in the postseason as Hawks and Flyers have played nine times in the A-10 Championship, tied for the most Atlantic 10 tourney contests against any active league member (George Washington). SJU is 14-7 against Dayton at home, including a 6-3 mark in Hagan Arena.

Last Time Against Dayton    
In a game that became an instant classic, Erik Reynolds II had 21 points and Justice Ajogbor blocked seven shots as Saint Joseph's downed Dayton, 73-68 in overtime of the Atlantic 10 Championship quarterfinals on March 14, 2025. Derek Simpson was in double figures for the Hawks with 11 points. Rasheer Fleming added 10 rebounds. After the Flyers took an early 10-5 lead, SJU turned up the defense, going on a 26-6 run in the next 12 minutes, eventually taking a 33-24 lead into halftime. St. Joe's held Dayton to 26.7 percent shooting in the first half. Opening the second stanza, the Hawks continued to lead, but Dayton worked its way back into the game methodically, tying the contest at 46-46 and eventually going on top 60-56 with 18 seconds left. SJU was able to make four shots at the line in the final 14 seconds and Ajogbor delivered his seventh block of the night, rejecting a Javon Bennett layup at the buzzer to force overtime. In the extra session, Saint Joseph's never trailed as a layup by Reynolds with 3:55 to go pushed the Hawks ahead to stay.

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 four 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 against St. Bonaventure was one of the best games of his career, setting personal bests in points (16) and rebounds (11).

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.

Next Up    
St. Joe's makes a trip to the Midwest, taking on Loyola Chicago on Tuesday, January 28. Tipoff from Gentile Arena is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. EST with the game airing on CBS Sports Network.