It’s time to start working on the rollouts. St. Joe’s men’s basketball is heading back to the Big 5 Classic title game after its two Big 5 pod wins last week.
The Hawks defeated Villanova at home in an 83-76 statement win Nov. 12 before traveling to The Palestra to rout University of Pennsylvania in an 86-69 victory Nov. 15.
After last year’s reformatting of the Big 5, now each of the six teams compete in a pod of three teams prior to the title game. Pod one consists of La Salle, Drexel and Temple. Pod two is St. Joe’s, Villanova and Penn.
Both La Salle and Temple have a win over Drexel, meaning the winner of their Nov. 30 matchup will face St. Joe’s in the championship game at the Wells Fargo Center Dec. 7.
If Temple wins, it will be a rematch of last year’s game between the Owls and St. Joe’s, where St. Joe’s came out on top, 74-65. If the Explorers win, it will be a battle of not just the Big 5 but also the Atlantic 10 if the local conference rivals meet in South Philadelphia.
But, rather than looking to a yet-to-be-determined future, here’s a recap of how the Hawks secured the opportunity to defend their title.
St. Joe’s vs. Villanova (83-76)
St. Joe’s defeated Villanova at Hagan Arena for the first time since 2011, giving Villanova its first road loss of the season. A few momentum swings left Villanova up at the half, but the second half told a different tale, with the Hawks taking the lead after a 15-0 run. Holding on to their lead, St. Joe’s was able to secure their second consecutive win over the Wildcats. St. Joe’s also had 20 assists on 26 field goals, moving the ball efficiently with a number of open looks in the second half to contribute to their lead and, ultimately, their win.
Stat Stars: Villanova star fifth-year forward Eric Dixon put up a game-high 24 points, followed by teammate fifth-year guard Jhamir Brickus with 22. For St. Joe’s, junior forward Rasheer Fleming put up 19 points in his 21 minutes of play. Sophomore guard Xzayvier Brown followed with 18 points after only making one three from the field in the first half. He also put up a career-high 13 assists. Fifth-year center Justice Ajogbor had three blocks for the Hawks.
St. Joe’s vs. UPenn (86-69)
St. Joe’s game against the Quakers was different, with the Hawks holding onto a double-digit lead for most of the first half, even leading by as much as 32 points halfway through the second half. Not nearly the nailbiter the Nova game was, the Hawks finished with a 17-point margin of victory. Of their 86 points, 24 came off of turnovers, while only giving up seven points off of turnovers down the other end. St. Joe’s also finished with 25 second-chance points, rebounding the ball more than they did against the Wildcats.
Stat Stars: St. Joe’s had three players finish with 15 points apiece: Fleming, senior guard Erik Reynolds II and junior guard Derek Simpson. Brown finished with seven rebounds for the Hawks. Penn senior forward Nick Spinoso paced the Quakers with 14 points.
With their Big 5 games behind them and their championship opponent still up in the air, all that’s left to do for Hawk fans is wait and start purchasing streamers.
