Saint Joseph’s pulls away to start the second half, routs Lafayette, 81-60

Saint Joseph’s came out on top in the school’s first game of the 2023-24 season against Lafayette, 81-60, at Hagan Arena. The Hawks held the lead for nearly 39 of the 40 minutes of play.

The absence of redshirt freshman Christ Essandoko did not go unnoticed by St. Joe’s fans and the team alike. The 7-foot center from France missed the game with a sprained toe. Head coach Billy Lange said his status remains day-to-day.

“Basketball is a little different than some other sports where you might be able to based on your position predict the movement patterns,” Lange said regarding Essandoko. “As long as he’s able to tolerate the pain, and we feel good that he’s not going to put himself in jeopardy of injuring it by compensating, then we’ll make a decision to have him back.”

» READ MORE: In the new money era of college sports, what’s the plan for St. Joseph’s, La Salle, and Drexel?

Junior Erik Reynolds paced the Hawks with 18 points and also finished with four assists, which tied for the team lead. Junior guard Lynn Greer III followed behind with 15 points, while sophomore Rasheer Fleming added 14 points in the victory

Greer and junior forward Kacper Klaczek each had two steals for the Hawks.

The Hawks took the lead six minutes into the game with a three-pointer from Klaczek to put them up, 14-13. A three-pointer from fifth-year guard Cam Brown later put the Hawks up 10 with about three minutes remaining in the half, but Lafayette wouldn’t go away. Starting with a pair of free throws from Devin Hines, followed by three unanswered field goals, including a layup from Hines off of a St. Joe’s turnover, the Leopards pulled within 38-35 at the half.

St. Joe’s dominated in the second half, extending the lead to double figures. Part of this was due to the difference in ball handling from both teams. For the game, St. Joe’s dished out 21 assists compared to nine turnovers while Lafayette had 16 turnovers and just 11 assists.

“[Lafayette] gave great effort,” Lange said. “They’re tough to guard, we had to be disciplined. I thought we were better in the second half. It’s a good start, and we had a lot of things we got to clean up.”

» READ MORE: For St. Joseph’s freshman Xzayvier Brown, debuting on Hawk Hill is going to be a family affair

Roman Catholic grads Anthony Finkley and Xzayvier Brown both earned some playing time as freshmen for St. Joe’s, playing 12 and 18 minutes, respectively. Finkley made two free throws for the Hawks, while Brown made three out of five field goals for six points.

“Xzayvier did a great job leading the team as the point guard,” Greer III said. “He made all the right decisions I believe and Ant Fink he was out there playing defensively, playing hard as ever.”

The Hawks came out hot in the second half with five unanswered field goals to increase their lead to 14, before Lafayette responded with a layup. But the momentum remained in favor of the Hawks, who held Lafayette to 25 second-half points and outscored the Leopards by 18 points in the second half

After a tight first half, this run to stretch St. Joe’s lead served as a momentum-shifter for the Hawks. Greer was responsible for a three-pointer, a layup, and an assist during St. Joe’s dominant five minutes.

The Hawks will close out the week with a home Big 5 matchup against Penn on Friday at 6:30 p.m.