Men's Basketball | Hawks end season with tough loss to Rhode Island

This past week had its ups and downs for the Saint Joseph's men's basketball team. The Hawks began the week with their backs against the wall. Win and St. Joe's would make the Atlantic 10 tournament; lose and the Hawks are one of only two teams in the conference to not make the trip to the tourney. 

The same situation also went for the Hawks' opponent and Big 5 foe La Salle University, and only the winner would make the trip. With the conference tourney on the line, the Hawks were able to come away with the win.

The Hawks were led by the balanced scoring attack that has helped them all season. Garrett Williamson, '10, and Darrin Govens , '10, led the squad in scoring with 18 and 17 points respectively.  Rounding out the double-digit scorers for the Hawks were Idris Hlliard,  '11, and Carl Jones,  '13, by pouring in 13 and 16 a piece. 

Coupled with their scoring efforts, the Hawk defense was able to contain the Explorers' weapons. St. Joe's held La Salle's inside force Aaric Murray  to a mere six points and held their leading scorer Rodney Green to only 12 points.

With the win, the Hawks were able to nab a spot in the A-10 conference tournament and drew a tough Rhode Island team in the opening round. 

The Hawks were able to fight valiantly, once again being led by their senior leaders. The Hawks were tied with the Rams with just under nine minutes left in the first half at 21-21 before the Rams went on a little run, ending the half up by five over the Hawks at 37-32. 

In the second half,  Govens kept the Hawks in it.  With just about 10 minutes left in the half Govens hit a lay-in which brought the Hawks to within a bucket of Rhode Island.  At that point the Rams started to pull away.   Govens was able to keep the Hawks in the game with a three with about four minutes left, but at that point St. Joe's was fighting a losing battle. 

The Rams were able to make free throws down the stretch to send the Hawks packing.  Although it was not the ultimate result for St. Joe's and depressing for the seniors, it still was a good experience for the young players. 

Unfortunately, the Hawks could not advance in the A-10 conference tournament, but they can now look to the future and know what they must do to get back in the conference tournament next season. 

This season is not what was exactly expected from the Hawks, but they made the best of it and played their best down the stretch regardless of the result.  The young players were able to get valuable experience and the veterans were able to enjoy their final games on Hawk Hill.

Season Leaders

Points Per Game: Darrin Govens, 13.9
Rebounds Per Game: Idris Hilliard, 5.4
3-Pont Percentage: Darrin Govens, 34.3%
Free Throw Percentage: Justin Crosgile, 78%
Assists: Garrett Williamson, 120
Blocks: Garrett Williamson, 32
Steals: Garrett Williamson, 54