Ryan Daly and St. Joe’s stay on a roll after first-round A-10 tournament win over La Salle
St. Joe's is now 4-0 since Ryan Daly returned, but a quick turnaround on Thursday will present new challenges.
St. Joseph’s head coach Billy Lange called Ryan Daly the most valuable player in the Atlantic Ten. In his four games since returning from a thumb injury, it’s hard to argue.
Up by four against La Salle with 1 minute, 20 seconds left on Wednesday, the Hawks put the ball in Daly’s hands. He took a couple dribbles behind the three-point line and rose up over a 6-foot-6 Christian Ray as the shot clock wound down.
Dagger.
Daly buried the three, proved his value, and ended La Salle’s comeback chance. The Hawks defeated the Explorers, 72-66, in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament at the Siegel Center in Richmond, Va.
“End of shot clocks have been my go-to, to make a tough shot my whole college career,” Daly said. “When I hit that, I felt like it’s our game to lose now.”
Daly led the Hawks (5-14, 2-9 A-10) with 23 points. Fifteen came in the second half. Jordan Hall added 17 points and Taylor Funk scored 12.
» READ MORE: From the A-10: St. Joe's-La Salle photo gallery
La Salle (9-16, 6-11) wanted to wear down St. Joe’s with its depth. Four Hawks played 33 or more minutes.
In the end, La Salle’s biggest question all season came into play. The lack of a go-to scorer made possessions difficult down the stretch.
On the other end, the Hawks had Daly. The Explorers led 57-55 with 7:03 remaining before St. Joe’s went on a 9-1 run over the next five minutes.
St. Joe’s shot 40%, and the Explorers finished at 42%. Most of the Hawks’ baskets were timely, and they made 15 more free throws than La Salle.
Some of that can be contributed to the defensive work. La Salle made the most threes in the A-10 this season. To combat the shooting, the Hawks stayed attached to shooters and forced Jhamir Brickus to shoot over size when driving, or make tough passes to contested shooters. The result was La Salle shooting 8-for-25 on threes and Brickus being held to two assists.
“When someone loses a player to injury or illness, the first thought the fans think about is how it impacts their offense.” Lange. “No one thinks about how it impacts the defense.”
» READ MORE: St. Joseph’s rode its one big advantage to an A-10 tournament win over La Salle | Mike Jensen
St. Joe’s will play UMass on Thursday at 1 p.m. It will be the first meeting this season between the two A-10 foes. Their scheduled Feb. 24 meeting was canceled. The Minutemen only played 13 games but are led by Tre Mitchell, one of the most skilled big men in the A-10. The 6-foot-9 sophomore is averaging 18.1 points and 6.9 rebounds.
Lange opened his postgame news conference by highlighting the work of strength & conditioning coach Eric Lang, athletic trainer Neil Hoffman, and director of basketball operations Amanda Casale. Their work will be put to the test. The Hawks have less than 24 hours to rest after having six players play all but five of the team’s minutes.
“The next game starts the second that this one ends, and it’s about recovery,” Lange said. “We have not played UMass this season, so as coaches, we have to be smart, strategic, and compact into what we give our group. We need to refresh their bodies.”
Jack Forrest warmed up individually before the game. The Hawks could use his scoring and shooting ability. Lange said that “there’s a chance” he could play in Thursday’s game.