Stars come out to see St. Joseph’s finish its non-league schedule strong

St. Joseph’s coach Billy Lange has made it clear he takes things a game at a time. This approach has been working for the Hawks.

After a road loss to the College of Charleston, St. Joe’s (10-3) ended its nonconference slate on a strong note with a 97-56 win over Loyola (Md.), which fell to 2-11.

Now, the Hawks are gearing up to visit Rhode Island (5-7) for their first Atlantic 10 game of the season on Wednesday (7 p.m.).

“Each moment has its own identity that you have to be ready for,” Lange said. “Now, I feel better at where we’re standing than I would feel if it was reversed. I’m not gonna lie about that. But it’s going to be different.”

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While their conference play may be different than what they’ve experienced so far, if Friday’s game is any indication of what’s to come for the Hawks, things are looking bright.

The turnout at Hagan Arena was high for the holiday weekend, with Jameer Nelson and Natasha Cloud in the house, and Sue Bird in the Hawk mascot costume during the first half.

The atmosphere said it all: St. Joe’s basketball is fun again and expectations are running high.

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A 17-3 run in the first half put the Hawks up early, and they maintained a comfortable lead throughout. St. Joe’s shot 47.8% field, including 41.7% on three-pointers (15 for 36). With 20 assists on 33 field goals, Lange called it “an impressive showing.”

“They love to pass the ball. They love to play with each other on the court and then the ball starts hitting second to third to fourth and occasionally fifth sides,” Lange said

For guard Cam Brown, it’s about trust between teammates.

“We all believe in each other,” Brown said. “We all relate to each other. We’re open to threes. Any shot anybody takes you believe in.”

And in a game like Friday’s where six players, including Brown, put up double-digit figures in scoring, it’s easy to develop trust.

“What I like is that our guys are united. I like that you see development out of certain guys. I like that. The groups that you put on the floor, tried to do the things that we asked them to do,” Lange said. “So from that standpoint, I feel really good. Whatever our readiness is for the A-10 that is yet to be seen.”