For the first time in over a month, the St. Joe’s Hawks lost, ending their chances of going to the NCAA Tournament. They were defeated by VCU 77-64 on Saturday in the semifinals of the A-10 Tournament at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh.
With the loss, St. Joe’s seven-game winning streak is over.
The Hawks(22-11, 13-5), if they accept, will probably get a bid in the NIT, while VCU(26-7, 15-3), which defeated St. Joe’s in the regular season, will look to capture their straight A-10 Tournament title when they battle in the A-10 Final on Sunday.
This game was lost early for St. Joe’s. At one point, early in the first half, they went close to six minutes without a point. The Hawks shot 26% from the field in the first half and trailed 29-9 at 9:02. VCU had its largest lead of the game at 25 late in the first half, and the Hawks went into halftime down 44-21.
St. Joe’s played a little better in the second half, but they never made it a game as VCU and coach Phil Martelli Jr. beat the Hawks again.
Terrence Hill Jr. led the Rams with 18 points, Jadrian Tracey added 15, and Lazar Djokovic chipped in with 11.
For St. Joe’s, Austin Williford had 17 points, Jaiden Glover-Toscano scored 14, and in what could be his final collegiate game, Justice Ajogbor added 11.
“As I told the team, I don’t think there’s a more gratifying season in so many different ways for me personally,” St. Joe’s coach Donahue said after the game, as transcribed by Jake Copestick. “I’ve been fortunate to win championships and make deep runs in the NCAA Tournament, but when you do this, you really judge it on what your group is, where it’s at, and where you can get it.”
Despite the loss, this was a good season for St. Joe’s, especially after the way it started, including parting ways with guard Deuce Jones and starting A-10 play 0-2. Credit to A-10 Coach of the Year Steve Donahue for turning it around.
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