Less than 24 hours removed from their first loss of the season – a 74-63 defeat at the hands of Florida – the Saint Joseph’s Hawks were right back at it, taking on Old Dominion in the consolation game of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun Arena. The Hawks would get right back on track against Old Dominion, who also picked up their first loss of the season on Saturday, winning a back-and-forth affair 66-64 on a Shavar Newkirk jumper with just one second remaining. |
While Miles would find the basket throughout the half, DeAndre’ Bembry would be held at bay, scoring just four points, all from the foul line, after not starting the game.
Both teams would trade blows throughout the second half, with Saint Joseph’s taking a 56-53 lead with 4:02 remaining in the game. The Monarchs would respond, however, as Trey Freeman made a basket and drew the foul, making the ensuing free throw to tie the game and end a more than three-minute scoring drought for Old Dominion.
With the Hawks leading 61-60, Aaron Brown would come up with a big defensive rebound and draw the foul. Brown would drain both free throws to put Saint Joseph’s up 63-60 with 35 seconds remaining, but the Monarchs were not done just yet.
Aaron Bacote would tie the game at 64-64 for Old Dominion with just 14 seconds remaining, but Newkirk would respond with a step-back jumper with just one second remaining to give the Hawks a 66-64 win.
Isaiah Miles led the way in the win for the Hawks, scoring 18 points to go along with six rebounds and three blocks. Bembry would add a double-double off the bench, scoring 15 points and hauling in 10 rebounds to go along with four blocks and three assists. Newkirk would add 10 points for the Hawks as well, including the game-winning basket.
At 4-1, Saint Joseph’s will now have an eight-day break before hosting Big 5 rival Villanova on December 1 at Hagan Arena.
By: Kyle Babcock
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