Khaafiq Myers scored 22 of his career-high 30 points in the second half as St. Joe’s (4-0) defeated Big 5 foe the University of Pennsylvania (1-3), 83-77, at Hagan Arena on Saturday night.
This was the first Big 5 Classic game for both teams.
Penn was led by Michael Zanoni, who had 23 of his game-high 32 points in the first half, and the Quakers led 41-37 at the break.
The Quakers pushed their lead to 50-41 with just under 16 minutes to go.
However, St. Joe’s responded. The Hawks went on a 17-5 run, punctuated by back-to-back threes from freshman guard B.J. Ranson, who scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half, and took a 58-55 lead.
Down the stretch, the Hawks started to separate from the Quakers, and they had their largest lead of the game at 76-65 with three and a half minutes to go.
The Quakers cut the lead to two after a layup by T.J. Power, who finished with 16 points, with just over a minute remaining.
However, Myers, who was unstoppable at times, put it away with a driving layup on St. Joe’s next possession.
Penn head coach Fran McCaffery was impressed by what he saw from Myers, who also added a career-high seven assists and recorded the Hawks’ first 30-point game since 2024.
“He’s got a gear that most people don’t have,” McCaffery said. “He gets to the rim, and he’s not selfish. He gives it up… If you close it down, he kicks it. He’s not a big mistake guy… If he’s hitting jumpers, it’s really hard.”
The Hawks outscored Penn 46-36 in the second half, and St. Joe’s, who had eight turnovers in the first half, committed only one in the second half, including none over the final 13:55 of the game.
St. Joe’s head coach Steve Donahue, who spent nearly 20 years at Penn, got the win over his former team.
After the win, Donahue said beating Penn is good, but winning the Big 5 championship would be better.
“I wanted to win this game,” Donahue said. “I appreciate the guys’ excitement for me and all. I want to win a Big Five championship more than anything else, and I mean that. This business, we sign up for this, and I was proud of what I did at Penn.”
If St. Joe’s defeats Drexel on Friday night on the road, they will advance to the Big 5 Championship Game on December 5 at Xfinity Mobile Arena.
Notes:
-Penn played without Sir Mohammed, AJ Levine, Dorian Glogovac, and Chase Geremia, who were sidelined by injuries.
-St. Joe’s returns to action on Tuesday when they host Wagner, while Penn hosts DeSales on Monday.
Photo: SJU Hawks MBB/X
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