The Steve Donahue Era at St. Joseph’s began on Monday night as the Hawks(1-0, 0-0) hosted the Lafayette Leopards(0-1, 0-0) at Hagen Arena, and it was a success, as St Joseph’s defeated Lafayette 85-76.
Jaiden Glover-Toscano, in his first game on “Hawk Hill,” led the way with a career-high 23 points and nine rebounds.
After trailing very early in this game, St. Joes led the rest of the way, and at times, it appeared they were cruising along. The Hawks had their largest lead of the game at 13 points in the first half, and they took a 41-31 lead into halftime.
However, Lafayette would not go away, and they cut the lead to one point on a couple occasions in the second half, but they could not get over the hump as the Hawks kept them at bay.
St. Joe’s did not play its best game, but it is the first game of the season, so that’s understandable. At times, you got the sense that the Hawks could blow this game open, but it didn’t happen. Mainly, because they did not shoot it well from deep on Monday night. St. Joes shot 6-25 from three-point range; however, they took advantage of the free-throw line as they were 19-22 from the charity stripe.
Again, the Hawks have things they need to clean up as they move forward, but a few things are clear: this team is deep (played 13 players) and athletic, which should bode well for them as the season progresses.
Notes:
Anthony Finkley had 15 points for St. Joe’s; Dasear Haskins added 14, and Derek Simpson chipped in with 11 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
Deuce Jones finished 1-10 FG from the field and scored only two points in Hawks’ debut.
For Lafayette, Andrew Phillips scored 17; Shareef Jackson had 16 points and eight rebounds; and Caleb Williams added 15.
The Hawks return to action on Saturday when they host Drexel, while Lafayette hosts Dickinson on Thursday night.
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