The St. Joseph’s Hawks(7-4) returned to action after a week off as they hosted Delaware State(4-9) on Thursday night.
The Hawks, who last played on Dec. 11 when they lost to Syracuse on the road, were without their top two leading scorers, guards Deuce Jones(Illness) and Jaiden Glover-Toscano(Wrist), but the St. Joe’s led from start to finish, and they had no problems as they defeated Delaware State 67-51 at Hagan Arena.
After losing three straight, St. Joe’s has now won five of their last six games.
The Hawks led by as many as 15 points in the first half, and they had their largest lead of the game, 26 points, in the second half.
Without Jones and Glover-Toscano, Austin Williford stepped up, scoring a career-high 14 points, all in the first half.
The freshman guard was 5/8 from the field and was 4/7 from deep in that first half.
In the second half, Williford went scoreless. However, another freshman stepped up. Guard Khaafiq Myers had nine of his career-high 11 points in the second half.
The Hawks also played well on defense. Led by center Justice Ajogbor, who had four of the team’s nine blocks, St. Joe’s limited Delaware State to 32% shooting, and they did a great job defending the three, as the Hornets were 4/17 from deep.
Obviously, this is a game you expect St. Joe’s to win, and they did that. Now, they have to keep working to improve as conference play is just around the corner.
Notes:
Dasear Haskins and Derek Simpson added nine points apiece for the Hawks, and Anthony Finkley added eight points and eight rebounds.
Ponce James led Delaware State with 12 points.
What’s Next:
St. Joe’s hosts Coastal Carolina on Monday night, while Delaware State goes home to face Holy Family.
Leave a Reply