St. Joe’s uses a dominant second half to beat UMass, win third straight
Cameron Brown led the Hawks with a game-high 25 points, going 4 of 7 from beyond the arc, while fellow guard Erik Reynolds II added 23 points.
Coming off a pair of convincing wins earlier in the week, St. Joseph’s hoped to make it three against a spotty Massachusetts team on the rebound after a loss to Virginia Commonwealth.
Make it three the Hawks did with a convincing 74-68 win against the Minutemen. They improved to 9-10 (3-4 Atlantic 10) while UMass (11-8, 2-5) dropped its second straight.
Statistical leaders
Cameron Brown led the Hawks with a game-high 25 points, including going 4 of 7 from beyond the arc, while fellow guard Erik Reynolds II added 23 points. Both also hauled in six rebounds apiece.
Former Archbishop Wood star Rahsool Diggins co-led UMass with 15 points in a return to play in Philly following his transfer to the Minutemen from UConn. RJ Luis also poured in 15 off the bench.
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What we saw
St. Joseph’s treated a sizable crowd to quite the performance in the second half, specifically in a 13-minute span that exemplified the Hawks’ 43.9% shooting percentage.
After a jumper from Christian Winborne fell with 13 minutes, 26 seconds remaining, the Hawks didn’t give up their lead and pulled away by as many as 10 points. The dagger arrived with 1:18 remaining, with Diggins bringing UMass within four before a monster three from Kacper Klaczek made it 73-68. A deflated UMass didn’t score again as hasty three-point attempt after attempt missed the mark.
Game-changing play
St. Joe’s took a seven-point lead into the half, but the Minutemen chipped away at it just minutes into the second half. Diggins drilled a pair of big three-pointers, his last tying the game, 46-46, with 16:35 remaining.
A back-and-forth game then ensued between the two, as they exchanged baskets until a 6-0 run saw the Hawks regain the lead, 57-52, heading into the second TV timeout.
Up next
A two-game road swing awaits the Hawks this week. First up, an A-10 matchup against George Washington on Wednesday (7 p.m., ESPN+), followed by a nationally televised game against George Mason next Sunday (noon, USA Network).