Courtesy of SJUHawks.com
PHILADELPHIA – DeAndre’ Bembry had 26 points and 12 rebounds to lead five players in double figures as Saint Joseph’s (14-3/ 4-1 A-10) defeated Fordham (10-6/1-4), 80-55, to post its third consecutive win and 10th in the past 11 games.
Bembry connected on 11-for-17 from the field and handed out three assists as the Hawks recorded their largest winning margin of the year. It was also his second straight double-double and fifth of the season.
“I thought today he would get double-digit assists,” said Hawks coach Phil Martelli. “But he had flow to his game with the back-cuts. He had one crazy shot in the second half. Even the play where he didn’t even catch the ball and put the ball in the basket. He’s gifted. They could’ve called him out for playing in the 60s, the 70s, the 80s, because he has an old-school game.”
Aaron Brown added 12 points and six rebounds, James Demery scored 11 points off the bench and Shavar Newkirk and Isaiah Miles added 10 points apiece.
“The defensive performance was at a very high level with the recognition of what they were going to do. The players responded in a very positive fashion,” Martelli said. “In the first half, I thought there were empty possessions; we had a missed dunk and we were 7-for-13 from the foul line. In the second half, they had about four points in the first 10 minutes of the half. So, I’m really pleased defensively and in different spots with different guys.”
Chris Sengfelder and Jon Severe scored 13 points apiece for Fordham (10-6; 1-4 A-10) while Ryan Rhoomes added 10 points.
Saint Joseph’s was in control from the start, up by 10 (14-4) in the first seven minutes. Fordham cut it to 26-20 with 6:45 to play but Bembry, who had 14 points in the half on 6-of-9 shooting scored eight points in a 12-6 Hawks’ run that gave them a 38-26 lead at halftime.
“I thought the two point guards really handled their team well – Shavar and Fresh (Kimble) – and we’re a step in the right direction. I’m appreciative of the great fan support,” continued Martelli. “I think that there’s a lot in this group. The thing that I like the most, that I think is growing, is team confidence. They’re going to get through it. They’re going to give you a little bit more.”
Both teams shot 45 percent in the first half, but the Hawks opened it up in the second, hitting 51.7 percent from the field.
The Hawks opened up a 20-point lead, 48-28, on a dunk by Bembry with the feed from Lamarr Kimble. Saint Joseph’s expanded on that with a 13-3 run, with five from Demery, to take a 61-31 with 8:50 left. SJU’s biggest lead of the game came with 3:36 to play when Brendan Casper hit his first three-pointer of the season.
OTHER GAMES IN THE ATLANTIC 10
Davidson 86 UMass 74
DAVIDSON, N.C. – In addition to becoming the 48th player in school history to hit the 1,000-point plateau, Jack Gibbs scored a career-high 43 points to lead Davidson past Massachusetts, 86-74, in Atlantic 10 men’s basketball action Saturday at Belk Arena. READ MORE.
Video
Video courtesy of Atlantic10.com.
VCU 94 Richmond 89 OT
Junior JeQuan Lewis poured in a career-high 29 points and Melvin Johnson hit four free throws – including a pair to give VCU the lead for good – in the waning moments as the Rams earned a 94-89 win at Richmond in overtime. VCU has won eight straight. READ MORE.
Rhode Island 73 La Salle 62
SOUTH KINGSTOWN — The expected result was all that mattered to the University of Rhode Island on Saturday.
Style points are rarely at a premium coming off two straight disappointing road losses, and facing a La Salle team running an offense that bore some resemblance to the style of game played during the peach basket era guaranteed nothing pretty. READ MORE.
Video
Video courtesy of Atlantic10.com.
Duquesne 95 St. Bonaventure 88
The Bonnies saw the Dukes make 66 percent (18-27) of their shots from the field in the second half. Duquesne broke the game open with a 13-3 run, giving the Dukes a 77-66 led with 4:14 left. St. Bonaventure clawed back to within five at 93-88, but that came with only 21 seconds left. READ MORE.
FRIDAY
Dayton 77 George Washington 70
Dyshawn Pierre scored five of his game-high 26 as UD used a big second-half run for the second time this week. Coming out of the under-eight timeout, UD scored six straight to take a lead they would not surrender. READ MORE.
Video courtesy of the University of Dayton athletics.
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