Game Info: Saturday, December 28, 2024 – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Hagan Arena – Philadelphia, Pa.
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Opening Tip
The Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball team plays its final non-conference game, hosting the Delaware State Hornets on Saturday, December 28. Tipoff from Hagan Arena is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
On The Rise
Erik Reynolds II reached another milestone on the Hawks scoring list, passing Ahmad Nivens (2005-09) for fifth on the career chart. The senior from Temple Hills, Md. enters the game against Delaware State with 1,809 points. Carl Jones (2009-13) is in fourth place at 1,845. Reynolds also comes into the game against the Hokies five three-pointers behind Pat Carroll (294 – 2001-05) for second and is 11 away from becoming just the second ever SJU men’s basketball player with 300 or more threes. Langston Galloway (2010-14) owns that distinction at 343.
A Trio of Tributes
It wasn’t just Hawks’ historians that recognized what Reynolds did in the last couple of contests. The U.S. Basketball Writers Association named the senior as one of its Oscar Robertson National Players of the Week. The Atlantic 10 and Big 5 also selected him as their Player of the Week for the week ending December 22. Reynolds averaged 24.0 points per game and went 8-for-18 from three-point range. He also shot 18-for-32 (56.3 percent) and had nine assists compared to just one turnover in wins against American and Virginia Tech.
Nationally Noticed
Thanks in part to its win against the Hokies, the Hawks moved into the top-100 of the NET rating, coming in at 96. SJU has wins against three Power Conference schools this season, downing Villanova on November 12 and No. 24 Texas Tech on November 21 to go along with Saturday. The A-10 as a whole has six teams in the NET 100, matching the West Coast Conference for the most among mid-majors.
Tis Better To Give Than Receive
It has been an assist bonanza for the Hawks in the last several games, including 19 more against Virginia Tech on December 21. Saint Joseph’s is averaging 18.0 assists per game in the month of December. SJU has assists on 62.5 percent of its made baskets this season, 17th nationally and second in the A-10.
Long Distance Dedication
It was an impressive week for St. Joe’s from three-point range, connecting on 52.3 percent (23-for-44) of its shots from beyond the arc Erik Reynolds II led the way with eight triples on 18 attempts. Four different Hawks connected on at least three treys and shot 40 percent or better for the pair of games. In addition to Reynolds, Derek Simpson went 5-for-10, Rasheer Fleming was 4-for-10 and Anthony Finkley shot 3-for-4. Finkley has been impressive from deep overall this year, hitting 15-of-28 (53.6 percent)
St. Joe’s Runs On Dunking
Through 12 games this season, the Hawks have dunked the ball 47 times, an average of 3.92 per game. Rasheer Fleming leads the way with 22 of them, 46.8 percent of Saint Joseph’s throwdowns.
Scoring at All Levels
Speaking of Fleming, he is on a list of one this season when it comes to the ability to score inside and outside. According to League Him, he is the only Division I player this season with 20+ dunks and 20+ three-pointers. Overall, the junior from Camden, N.J. is shooting 39.6 percent from beyond the arc and is at 43.3 percent at Hagan Arena.
Scouting report
Delaware State enters play 7-6 overall and is coming off a pair of wins in the CP3 Classic at Mohegan Sun on December 19 and 20, downing Grambling and Alabama State. Winners of four in a row, the Hornets were picked in a tie for fifth in the preseason MEAC poll.
Leading the offense for Delaware State is First Team MEAC Preseason honoree Martaz Robinson at 16.4 points per game. Close behind is Robert Smith at 16.1 a contest. Kaseem Watson provides a good third option, tallying 12.8 an outing while Corey Perkins comes off the bench to score 7.2 a game. Robinson and Perkins each average 6.2 rebounds a night. Perkins has 48 assists.
Some of the Hornets’ best offense comes from it’s own missed shot as DSU is 36th nationally and leads the MEAC in offensive rebounding at 13.6 per game.
One area where they don’t miss a lot of shots to generate those o-boards is from three-point range. Their clip of connecting at 38.1 percent is 36th in NCAA Division I. That is counter-balanced, however, by not taking many shots from deep, currently sitting at 352nd of 355 teams nationally at 13.5 three-point attempts per game.
The home and road splits for the Hornets are an area of concern. DSU is 5-0 at home and is averaging 85.0 points per game. It is 0-6 in true road contests, scoring just 64.0 an outing. It should be noted that the splits may not be as stark as they may seem on the surface as three of the opponents at home have been non-Division I contests and three of the road game have been against Power Conference schools.
Stan Waterman is in his fourth season as head coach and has engineered an impressive turnaround at Delaware State. After a rough first season, he led the Hornets to their most wins since 2014-15, posting 15 victories a season ago.
All-Time Series
Saturday is just the second ever meeting between the SJU and DSU with the Hawks holding a 1-0 series lead. Saint Joseph’s and Delaware State have not met since the opening game of the 1993-94 season.
Last Time Against Delaware State
St. Joe’s opened the 104th season of Hawk basketball with a 90-60 victory against Delaware State at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse on November 26, 1993.
None Shall Pass
SJU continued to reject opposition shots with eight more blocks against Virginia Tech. It is the seventh time this season they have swatted five or more shots in a game. The Hawks are averaging 5.5 swats per game this season. That total is third in the Atlantic 10 and 17th in NCAA Division I. It is the most for the program since the 2012-13 squad recorded 5.7 swats a game, led by 82 from C.J. Aiken. The Hawks rejected 12 Coppin State shots on November 26, a season-high. They also achieved double digits in the season-opener against Navy. Prior to the game against the Midshipmen, SJU had not blocked 10 or more shots in a game since January 12, 2013 against Duquesne.
Up Next
The Hawks close the 2024 calendar year and opens Atlantic 10 Conference action hosting the UMass Minutemen on Tuesday, December 31. Tipoff from Hagan Arena is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
