Courtesy of St. Joseph’s athletics.
Aiken tied his career-high in blocks and helped the squad eclipse the SJU team record of 12 blocks set against Cleveland State on December 2, 1987. The sophomore entered the game averaging 4.2 blocks per game and ranked fifth in the nation.
Saint Joseph’s used a balanced effort with four players in double figures. Halil Kanacevic had 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds while Langston Galloway and Carl Jones scored 11 points apiece.
The Hawks broke the game open late in the first half, using a 12-0 run, ending with a turnaround jumper from Aiken at 1:34 to take a 28-18 lead. Saint Joseph’s held a 30-19 lead at halftime, holding the Dragons to just 28.6 percent from the field.
SJU came out strong in the second half and consecutive three-point plays by Carl Jones and Langston Galloway built the Hawks’ lead to 37-24 at 15:57. The lead increased to 15 points twice before Drexel cut it to 44-34 on a three-pointer from Damion Lee and a tip-in by Daryl McCoy.
But that was the closest the Dragons could get the rest of the way as a dunk by Aiken off a lob from Jones gave SJU its biggest lead, 53-36, with 4:20 to play.
“Defensively we were sound and when you have that presence in the lane – 16 blocked shots is extraordinary – you just see the looks on their (Drexel) faces that it’s a challenge,” said Hawk coach Phil Martelli.
The Hawks put on a show for the home fans with eight dunks in the game, with most of them by Aiken and Ronald Roberts off of alley oop passes.
Damion Lee was the only Drexel player in double figures with 14 points.
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