Courtesy of SJUHawks.com
PHILADELPHIA – Guards Shavar Newkirk and Lamarr Kimble combined for 44 points by each hitting career-highs to lead Saint Joseph’s to a 77-76 win over Toledo in the season opener for both teams at Hagan Arena.
Newkirk, a junior, tallied career-highs of 28 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore Kimble scored 16 points. Junior James Demery had 11 points and tied his career-high with eight rebounds for SJU (1-0).
Jonathan Williams led Toledo with 18 points and Steve Taylor, Jr., had 14. Daniel Dzierzawski added 13 points for the Rockets (0-1).
The game was a back-and-forth contest with a total of 25 lead changes in the second half. Saint Joseph’s took the final lead of the game, 72-71, on a putback by sophomore Markell Lodge with 1:42 to play. Newkirk hit a jumper at :45 to increase the Hawks’ lead to its biggest of the game, 74-71, and added a pair of free throws to push it to 76-71 with 25 seconds to play. Toledo countered with a layup by Daniel Dzierzawski at :19 but Demery made one of two free throws at :11 to give the Hawks a 77-73 lead. Jalen Sanford hit a three-pointer at the buzzer to provide the final margin.
In the first half, the Hawks trailed by as much as 32-24 with five minutes to play in the half, but Kimble hit a three-pointer to start a 14-5 run. SJU took its first lead of the game, 38-37, on a free throw by Kimble at 1:28. After a three by Toledo’s Jordan Lauf, SJU’s Jai Williams dunked in a pass from Newkirk to knot the game at 40-40. Sanford hit a free throw to provide the Rockets with a 41-40 halftime lead.
Saint Joseph’s 2015-16 Atlantic 10 champion team was honored prior to the game, as the championship banner was unveiled. It marked SJU’s second A-10 title in three years.
SJU will host Columbia on Monday at 7 p.m. before heading to the Paradise Jam in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands next week.
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