St. Joe’s eliminated by VCU in semifinals of Atlantic 10 tournament
While the Hawks shot better in the second half, their scoreless stretches allowed the Rams to create a 20-point advantage and never look back.
At the beginning of January, an Atlantic 10 semifinal appearance for St. Joseph’s may have looked improbable. But after losing their first two conference games, the Hawks won 14 of their last 17 games, including a quarterfinal matchup against Davidson on Friday.
Their run set the Hawks up against Virginia Commonwealth at PPG Paint Arena on Saturday with a spot in the championship on the line. However, the Rams dominated the entire game to hand the Hawks a season-ending 77-64 loss.
The Rams (25-7, 15-3) will play Dayton (23-10, 12-6) in the A-10 championship on Sunday (CBS, 1 p.m.).
Statistical Leaders
St. Joe’s (23-11, 13-5) led for just 26 seconds into the game, and there were only two lead changes. The Hawks shot 38.8% from the field, while the Rams drilled 45.3% of their shot attempts. Guard Austin Williford led the Hawks with 17 points on 6-for-16 shooting. Guard Jaiden Glover-Toscana had 14 and guard Derek Simpson added eight assists.
Rams guard Terrence Hill Jr. had 18 points with 11 coming after halftime. The Rams also had 31 bench points compared to the Hawks’ 10.
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What we saw
St. Joe’s started the game 3-for-8 from the floor. While VCU also made just two shots in four minutes into the game, the Rams eventually readjusted.
However, St. Joe’s didn’t score again for nearly seven minutes, missing eight consecutive shots. VCU built a 23-6 lead after guard Nyk Lewis drilled a triple to start its 16-0 run. Forward Jadrian Tracey became the biggest offensive boost for the Rams with all 15 of his points coming in the frame.
When Williford finally broke the scoring drought with a three-pointer, Tracey hit one of his own and forward Barry Evans followed it up. Hill Jr. then got a layup to take a 31-9 lead nearly 11 ½ minutes into the game.
The Rams held St. Joe’s scoreless for two minutes before letting up consecutive three-pointers, but then a four-minute field goal drought struck. By the time the Hawks scored again, it was a 20-point deficit. St. Joe’s went into halftime down 44-21, the lowest amount it scored in the first half all season.
The Hawks went on a 11-4 run in the second half behind three triples from Williford, Glover-Toscano, and guard Anthony Finkley to make it 48-32. St. Joe’s found its offensive flow in the second half, shooting 51.5% from the field, but the defense still struggled to contain VCU.
The Hawks continued to score in bunches, but it wasn’t enough as the Rams picked up a 13-point win.