The St. Joe’s men’s basketball team entered their Feb. 18 game against Davidson College winless in Atlantic 10 conference play. The Hawks were a 12.5 point underdog in the contest.
At the end of the first half, the Hawks were outscored 40-21. At this point, losing by only 13 seemed unlikely. During the 15 minute halftime, the student section became barren. By the start of the second half, Michael J. Hagan ’85 Arena seemed like a graveyard− quiet, still and lifeless.
Davidson’s guard had led the attack in the first half and seemed poised to continue attacking an already depleted Hawk’s roster minus junior guard Ryan Daly who was sidelined due to an ankle injury.
Following the under-16 television timeout in the second half, something clicked into place for the Hawks. In just under five minutes, the Hawks went on a 13-2 run, cutting the deficit from 19 to eight with 10:31 left to play.
Although the Hawks were able to cut the Davidson lead to single digits with over 10 minutes to play, it wasn’t until the 2:28 mark that the Hawks finally took the lead 67-66. This game was far from over, though.
In the final 210 seconds of the game, there were five lead changes.
After a Davidson jumper put the Hawks down by two with 10 seconds to play and the leading scorer of the A-10 conference in street clothes on the bench for the Hawks, it felt like the air had been taken out of Hagan Arena.
The ball was inbounded to junior forward Lorenzo Edwards who quickly turned and took a three-point shot to win the game.
His shot was blocked but landed in Edwards’ hands. Edwards passed the ball to freshman guard Cameron Brown who faked a shot, took a dribble to the right and lined-up a game-winning three-point shot.
No one dared to take a breath.
As the ball went through the cylinder, no one heard the “swoosh” sound typically heard by a perfect shot. The crowd had erupted.
Brown’s field goal gave the Hawks a one-point lead with 0.7 seconds to play. Davidson in-bounded the ball and missed a full-court shot attempt ending the game.
The Hawks won.
It was the Hawks first win in conference play since former Head Coach Phil Martelli led the Hawks to an upset victory over Duquesne University on March 14, 2019 in the Barclay’s Center during the A-10 tournament. That is 334 days between conference victories.
It may have only been the fifth win of the season for the Hawks, but it was a special victory. The Hawks’ win over Davidson marked the first conference victory for Head Coach Billy Lange. This win gave the Hawks and the fans on Hawk Hill hope.
The moment Brown’s shot went through the basket, I turned to the leader of 54th and Airborne, Sam Robinson ’20. Amongst the cheers and screams, we high-fived in acknowledgement of what this victory meant.
The Hawks are not going to be winless in our final season as Hawks. Our screaming, cheering and dedication to the student section finally paid off. We got that first victory.
What is this win going to mean this season for the Hawks? Not much. We are still going to be playing on the first day of the A-10 tournament come March, but it did still mean something special.
This win is a snapshot of what is to come for the Hawks in future seasons. Brown is a leader. He showed us that in the victory over Davidson. We also saw the Hawks’ will to fight.
This season may not have gone as planned. In my four years, we may not have made the NCAA tournament as I hoped. But we did fight this season. We have fought each of the past four seasons. That’s why I am proud of the Hawks after the Feb. 11 game against Davidson.
The Hawk Will Never Die.
