Saint Joseph's welcomed the Blackbirds of Long Island University - Brooklyn (New York, United States) into a quiet Hagan Arena tonight for a non-bracketed NIT Season Tipoff game. LIU came in at 0-1, having dropped their only contest of the year thus far to St. John's. They gave Saint Joe's a run for their money tonight though. It looked as though LIU would take this one, until SJU freshman James Demery hit a three-pointer from the wing with 3 seconds left, tying the game at 67-67 and forcing overtime.
Saint Joe's was able to reclaim some of the energy they lost in the second half in overtime, holding LIU to only one field goal and taking the win 74-70.
DeAndre' Bembry was the Hawks leader in points, rebounds and assists, posting 17, 11 & 5 respectively. Chris Wilson added 13 points. Wilson and Bembry were responsible for the first 17 points the Hawks scored tonight, including a stretch where Wilson went 3-of-3 from three point range.
For LIU, forward Nura Zanna had 14 points, as did guard Iverson Fleming off the bench. Zanna and Fleming were the high scorers for the Blackbirds. Zanna also led in rebounds, but fouled out of the game a minute before overtime began, definitely hurting LIU's chances.
The win puts Saint Joe's over .500 for the first time this season at 3-2. After the shellacking at the hands of Gonzaga these last two wins were much needed, regardless of opponent quality.
The NIT Season Tipoff heads to Madison Square Garden on Thursday. The Hawks will try to distract you from the Eagles-Cowboys game at 6:00 pm when they take on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on the big stage. WKU easily beat SJU 98-70 in their season opener in 2010, but Saint Joe's got them back the next year 72-61. So let's call this a grudge match to build some hype.
-Ben Lebo
Follow us on Twitter: @BroadStBeat
DeAndre' Bembry was the Hawks leader in points, rebounds and assists, posting 17, 11 & 5 respectively. Chris Wilson added 13 points. Wilson and Bembry were responsible for the first 17 points the Hawks scored tonight, including a stretch where Wilson went 3-of-3 from three point range.
For LIU, forward Nura Zanna had 14 points, as did guard Iverson Fleming off the bench. Zanna and Fleming were the high scorers for the Blackbirds. Zanna also led in rebounds, but fouled out of the game a minute before overtime began, definitely hurting LIU's chances.
The win puts Saint Joe's over .500 for the first time this season at 3-2. After the shellacking at the hands of Gonzaga these last two wins were much needed, regardless of opponent quality.
The NIT Season Tipoff heads to Madison Square Garden on Thursday. The Hawks will try to distract you from the Eagles-Cowboys game at 6:00 pm when they take on the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers on the big stage. WKU easily beat SJU 98-70 in their season opener in 2010, but Saint Joe's got them back the next year 72-61. So let's call this a grudge match to build some hype.
-Ben Lebo
Follow us on Twitter: @BroadStBeat
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