PHILADELPHIA – The Saint Joseph's men's basketball team turned in a strong first half performance, but was dealt a heartbreaking loss, 62-56 by the Davidson Wildcats on Saturday evening.
 
BY THE NUMBERS

• Justice Ajogbor had a personal best in scoring as a member of St. Joe's with 11 points, adding six rebounds and two blocks.
• Khaafiq Myers scored nine and had two steals.
• Anthony Finkley tied for the team lead in rebounds with six, adding seven points and three assists with no turnovers.
• Jaden Smith netted seven and added a block off the bench.

 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• It was a strong start for the Hawks who scored the first seven points of the game and held the Wildcats off the board until the 16:07 mark of the first half. SJU eventually pushed the lead to 17-9 with 9:05 remaining in the frame.
• Davidson went on a quick 8-1 run to cut into the lead, which was stopped by a driving layup by Derek Simpson. On the ensuing defensive possession, Anthony Finkley came up with a steal and made two free throws. That ignited a 9-0 run, giving Saint Joseph's its largest edge of the night at 27-17 before taking a nine-point lead into the locker room.
• SJU maintained the halftime lead through the opening five minutes of the second half before a quick 5-0 run by the Wildcats sliced the advantage to 35-31 at the 14:47 mark. The Hawks scored five in a row of their own, but Davidson rallied, scoring 11 of the next 15 points and eventually tied the game at 49-49 with just fewer than seven minutes remaining.
• The teams traded leads for the next three minutes before the Wildcats took the lead to stay with 3:36 to go.

UP NEXT
St. Joe's remains at home, hosting Duquesne in an A-10 matchup on Wednesday, January 7. Tipoff from Hagan Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with the game airing on ESPN+.