VILLANOVA, Pa. – Villanova (6-4; 2-2 Big 5) rallied and ended the game with a 9-0 run to hand Saint Joseph’s (5-3; 0-1) a 65-61 defeat in a Big 5 game at The Pavilion. James Bell’s three-pointer from the corner with 28 seconds to play proved to be the game-winning shot for the Wildcats.
Saint Joseph’s held a 61-56 lead after Langston Galloway connected on his sixth three-pointer of the night with 2:13 to play. But one of the Hawks’ season-high 18 turnovers and missed free throws allowed the Wildcats to stay in the game. The Hawks had the ball with 10 seconds remaining, but couldn’t get a shot off and took a timeout with :03 to go. On the attempted inbounds play, Halil Kanacevic tried to bounce the ball off the Villanova defender, but committed the turnover. Bell would ice the game with two more free throws at :02 remaning.
Galloway scored a season-high and game-high 22 points, hitting 6-of-10 from three-point range. Senior Carl Jones added 16 points while Ronald Roberts, Jr. had 10 pointson 4-of-5 shooting from the floor. Junior C.J. Aiken led SJU with eight rebounds and three blocks to go with six points.
Saint Joseph’s had the early lead but Villanova would outscore the Hawks, 17-6, to take a 17-11 lead with 11:31. SJU regained the lead, 28-23, but Villanova would end the half with a 10-3 run to take a 33-31 halftime lead. Saint Joseph’s committed 13 turnovers in the half, while shooting just 39.1 percent from the field.
In typical Big 5 fashion, the teams battled back and forth in the second half, with five-point leads being the biggest advantages held by either team.
“It’s a numbers game. Pick any number that you want – 47 shots to 61 shots (Villanova’s). Eighteen turnovers with a veteran group and 68 percent from the foul line,” said Hawk coach Phil Martelli. “In the past few games we’ve had more turnovers than assists and we have too many skilled players for that to be the case. Not only the turnovers, but some of the decisions just weren’t there.”
“That was the final exam of the first semester and it was a failure. And then we take the next test starting tomorrow.”
The Hawks take a break for final exams and will return to action on Saturday, December 22, when they host Fairfield at Hagan Arena.
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