Category: Ncaa - Broad Street Beat

Broad Street Beat

Saint Joseph’s Falls Just Short of Upset Bid Against Oregon

3/21/2016

Special might not be enough to describe the season that was for the Saint Joseph’s Hawks.

Following a 13-win season in 2014-2015, expectations were low for the Hawks. That is, with everyone except themselves. With a lineup largely the same as a season ago, the Hawks came together, determined to turn heads.

They would do just that.

Behind Atlantic 10 Player of the Year DeAndre’ Bembry and A-10 Most Improved Player Isaiah Miles, the Hawks improved by 15 wins, earning a matchup with #1 seed Oregon in the round of 32 on Sunday night.

After battling through early foul trouble and some suspect calls, Saint Joseph’s strung together a 15-4 run midway through the second half to take its first lead of the game with 8:11 remaining. The Hawks would continue their frenzy, building a lead as large as seven and putting Oregon on the ropes.

In the end, however, the Ducks strung together a few solid plays down the stretch to eek out a 69-64 win over the Hawks. While the season may have come to a close for Saint Joseph’s, the Hawks left Spokane with nothing to hang their heads about.

“They came into this building as champions, they're going to leave as champions, and I've been honored to work with each of them since August,” Saint Joseph’s Coach Phil Martelli said. “And that doesn't change, the result tonight doesn't change that. We wish Oregon well going forward and hope that we'll be watching them advance to Houston.”

Bembry and Miles Guide Saint Joseph’s Past Cincinnati

3/19/2016

From the opening tip Friday night in Spokane, Washington, it was evident that DeAndre’ Bembry was not quite ready to call it a season. That’s understandable given the 2,545 mile-trek Saint Joseph’s made across the country for the game.

But for Bembry, it is clear that the long flight was not the reason he wanted to win. It was for his teammates.

Part of the pair of Hawks’ veterans, with Isaiah Miles, that has sparked a resurgence on Hawk Hill after a 13-win season a year ago, Bembry poured in 20 first half points before taking on the role of a facilitator in the second half. With the clock winding down and Saint Joseph’s trailing Cincinnati 76-75, Bembry found Miles, who stroked a three to give the Hawks a two-point lead with just nine seconds remaining.

Cincinnati would make one last push, slamming the ball home at the buzzer for what would’ve tied the game and forced overtime. Octavius Ellis’ fingertips were still on the ball when the lights went red, however, and the referees ruled the basket no good.

Ball game. Saint Joseph’s.

“DeAndre’ found him,” Saint Joseph’s Coach Phil Martelli said. “He had Caupain the whole first half. So he had 20 and Caupain did not score, until I took him out with like eight seconds left in the first half. “So he’s a really, really special player. But he’s even more special as a teammate and as a leader. Like they’re hopping around in there, when he comes in, and he said, ‘oh no, no, no, this is for Zeke, I want this for Isaiah.’”

Villanova, Temple and Saint Joseph’s Head to NCAA Tournament

3/13/2016

Three Philadelphia teams will be heading to the NCAA Tournament this week, as Villanova and Temple earned at-large bids to the Big Dance and Saint Joseph’s earned a bid by winning the Atlantic 10 Tournament Sunday afternoon.

Villanova
After falling to Seton Hall in the Big East Tournament Championship, the Wildcats slipped to a #2 seed for the NCAA Tournament.

Villanova will open play in Brooklyn on Friday against UNC Asheville, with a potential matchup with Temple looming in the second round.

Saint Joseph’s Dominates VCU for A-10 Tournament Title

3/13/2016

Having seemingly done enough to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament after a win over Dayton on Saturday, Saint Joseph’s showed up to the Barclays Center looking even hungrier on Sunday.

With VCU standing between the Hawks and their second Atlantic 10 Tournament Title in three years, Saint Joseph’s came out swinging.

Aaron Brown scored 10 points in the opening minutes to help Saint Joseph’s jump out to a 16-10 lead, and the Hawks’ veterans would keep their feet on the gas peddle from there. After taking a nine-point lead to the locker room at the half, the Hawks would grow their lead to as much as 21 on their way to an 87-74 win and the A-10 Tournament crown.

“But the basketball, like that was special,” Saint Joseph’s Coach Phil Martelli said. “The ball movement, the shot confidence, and you’re all right, it started right in the beginning, we took the ball at them, and we knew that they would be fierce.”

Saint Joseph’s Defeats Dayton To Advance to A-10 Final

3/12/2016

With their NCAA Tournament hopes still up in the air, Saint Joseph’s entered the Barclays Center Saturday afternoon with the goal of moving one step closer to taking the decision out of the Selection Committee’s hands.

Behind stellar performances from seniors Isaiah Miles and Papa Ndao, the Hawks would do just that. Miles poured in 26 points, while Ndao hits four timely three-pointers to fuel Saint Joseph’s 82-79 victory over Dayton to advance to the Atlantic 10 Tournament Championship on Sunday.

“It’s kind of special, but in a way it’s just another day,” Ndao said. “I feel like until we win a championship, I feel like every game is just a game, just to get there. It’s a push to what we want basically."

Saint Joseph’s Storms Back To Beat George Washington

3/11/2016

Saint Joseph’s NCAA Tournament hopes had taken quite a few hits coming into the Atlantic 10 Tournament quarterfinals on Friday.

Following consecutive losses to St. Bonaventure and Duquesne to close the regular season, the Hawks found themselves struggling at the worst possible time.

Things would not look any better in the early going Friday against George Washington. With the Colonials connecting from beyond the arc at will, the Hawks’ tournament hopes were dwindling even further by the minute.

Despite trailing 49-35 at the half, however, Saint Joseph’s would dig deep, storming all the way back for an 86-80 win to advance to the semifinals on Saturday.

“At halftime we thought about it, but we stayed confident,” Isaiah Miles said. “Like Coach (Phil Martelli) said, everyone kept their eyes up. Everyone kept their head. We were confident. We knew the game wasn’t over. We knew we had a whole other half. And again, we are playing for our lives because it’s win or go home, so that’s also in play in our minds.”

Saint Joseph’s Falters in Season Finale Loss to Duquesne

3/5/2016

The timing could not be worse.

After putting together an impressive season, Saint Joseph’s suffered just its sixth loss of the season on Wednesday against Saint Bonaventure.

The Hawks looked to bounce back in their regular season finale against Duquesne on Saturday, only to suffer a 78-70 loss on Senior Day.

It was the first time all season Saint Joseph’s has lost consecutive games and couldn’t have come at a worse time for the Hawks, as they now head to the Atlantic 10 Tournament in Brooklyn and hopefully the NCAA Tournament shortly after.

“We still have a chance at the A-10,” Isaiah Miles said. “We can still win games. We still have a chance to play in the NCAA Tournament if we win games, so we just have to move on to the next one.”

Temple Tops Memphis in Home Finale

3/3/2016

Temple took one step closer to its goal of earning a bid for the NCAA Tournament.

After a two-year absence from the Big Dance, the Owls appear to be trending in the right direction at the right time.

On Thursday night, behind a balanced effort that included five double-digit scorers, Temple defeated Memphis 72-62 to improve to 19-10 and clinch the number one seed in the AAC Tournament next week.

“It means a lot, but we have a lot more work to do,” Josh Brown said of clinching the number one seed. “We’re not settling for the number one seed. We just want to continue to win games and make our bid for the tournament.”

Bembry Guides Saint Joseph’s Past Saint Louis

2/28/2016

DeAndre’ Bembry has seen plenty of ups and downs in his three years on Hawk Hill. From being a freshman starter on the 2013-2014 Atlantic Champion Hawks to suffering through a 13-18 season a year ago.

Bembry has put up impressive numbers since first coming to Saint Joseph’s, but found himself as the team’s lone threat a year ago. The difference one year can make can be astounding, as many Saint Joseph’s fans have now found out.

With a roster that is largely the same from one season ago, the Hawks have done a full 180, amassing a 23-5 record entering Sunday’s contest against Saint Louis.

After 40 minutes of play, it would be a familiar scene for Hawks fans as Bembry filled the stat sheet. But with teammates that have improved vastly from a season ago, the end result was different than 2014-2015. Bembry finished with 27 points, eight rebounds and six assists to propel the Hawks to a 77-63 win, their 24th of the season.

“We played a lot of close games last year, but we lost most of them,” Bembry said. “Losing definitely helped us this year to try and win some more games. We’ve been winning most of the year. We’re confident.”

Temple Survives Against UCF

2/27/2016

Temple’s up and down season continued Saturday at the Liacouras Center.

Following a disappointing road loss to Tulsa earlier in the week, the Owls looked to get back on track against a subpar UCF squad. Like many games this season, however, it would be a bit more difficult than expected for Temple.

After taking a two-point halftime lead, the Owls would find themselves tied with the Knights in the waning seconds of the contest. With the shot clock winding down, Quenton DeCosey would fire a three with just 32 seconds remaining.

The shot wouldn’t fall, but fortunately for the Owls, Josh Brown came up with the offensive rebound, allowing them to get the last shot.

The ball would again be put in the hands of DeCosey, a senior and Temple’s leading scorer. This time he wouldn’t miss. With just 3.1 seconds left, DeCosey got the jumper to go, giving Temple the lead and a 63-61 win over UCF.

“He’s earned it,” Temple Coach Fran Dunphy said of putting the ball in DeCosey’s hands. “He’s earned that right. He’s been around a long time. He’s as good a scorer as we have.”