BROOKLYN, N.Y. – Ronald Roberts had 21 points and 16 rebounds to lead five Saint Joseph’s players in double figures as the Hawks upset #20 Notre Dame, 79-70, in overtime in the 2012 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic at the Barclays Center. SJU will meet Florida State in the championship game on Saturday at 9:30 p.m.
Chris Wilson had a career-high 19 points and Halil Kanacevic had 15 points, eight rebounds and six assists. Langston Galloway had 13 points and C.J. Aiken added 11 points and seven rebounds.
In overtime, Roberts led the way, converting two free throws and then another after a block by Aiken, while grabbing a key offensive rebound. He connected on two more free throws to give the Hawks a 71-68 lead.
It took Notre Dame until there was 1:09 left to score its first basket, a jumper by Eric Atkins to close within 71-68.
Wilson sealed the win for the Hawks, hitting 4-for-4 from the foul line in the final 20 seconds. Roberts had seven points in the overtime, and went 5-for-6 from the foul line.
In the final minutes of regulation, with the Hawks down 66-60, SJU’s Roberts hit a layup and Langston Galloway, who lost two teeth after diving for a loose ball, connected on two free throws to cut the deficit to 66-64. He then hit a driving layup to tie the game, 66-66, at 1:00.
With under 30 seconds to play, Kanacevic’s three-point try was off the mark and Notre Dame recovered. But the Irish couldn’t convert on two shots and the game went into overtime, 66-66.
Saint Joseph’s dug itself an 8-0 hole, but after Phil Martelli called a timeout, the Hawks reeled off five straight by Chris Wilson and Halil Kanacevic. SJU took its first lead of the game, 14-13, at 12:31 on a putback by Roberts. Notre Dame answered back taking an 18-17 lead, but the Irish would then go scoreless for close to five minutes.
Back-to-back dunks by Roberts gave SJU a 23-18 advantage as the Hawks were converting 58.8 percent from the field. Notre Dame broke the drought with a three-pointer from Pat Connaughton at 5:59.
A layup by Wilson increased the Hawks’ lead to 33-28 at 2:37, but Notre Dame closed to within 37-36 at halftime.
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