No. 3 Houston routs an overwhelmed St. Joseph’s in the Hawks’ season opener
Sophomores Erik Reynolds (17 points) and Kacper Klaczek (12 rebounds) led the Hawks in the Veteran's Classic in Annapolis. Scroll for more City 6 men's basketball action.
Early turnovers — six in the opening 10 minutes to be exact — proved costly for St. Joseph’s as the Hawks fell to No. 3-ranked Houston, 81-55, at the Veterans Classic in Annapolis, Md.
It was the season opener for the Hawks.
Stat leaders
Sophomore guard Erik Reynolds II led the Hawks with 17 points, shooting 6 of 11 from the field. Sophomore forward Kacper Klaczek grabbed 12 rebounds and scored six points. The Hawks shot just 29.6%, making 16 of 54 from the field overall and 20.8% from three.
Houston also struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 19.2% from three.
What we saw
In the first half, the Hawks made several errant passes and took poor shots, causing a deficit they could not recover from.
Much of the game was a one-sided affair, particularly in the first half as St. Joe’s entered halftime facing a 46-26 deficit.
The Hawks played the second half like a more improved team. St. Joe’s outscored Houston, 13-7, through the first 9 minutes, 30 seconds and showed some fight and hustle against its more experienced opponent.
With under 10 minutes to play, the Hawks began to fade. The Cougars began to open up their lead even further and covered the 22-point spread.
There were multiple delays in the second half because the court was wet as a result of heavy rains in Annapolis throughout the day. A number of staff members at Alumni Hall had to wipe down the hardwood to resume.
Game-changing play
The Hawks were engulfed by the Cougars within minutes of the tipoff, but it had to be the early turnovers that repeatedly disrupted any chance of momentum. Houston, on the other hand, did not turn the ball over until there were 22 seconds left in the first half.
The Cougars went on another run to extend their lead in the late in the second half, outscoring the Hawks, 16-5, over the course of three minutes to go up, 69-44.
Up next
In a return to Hagan Arena, St. Joseph’s will host Lafayette in its home opener on Monday (7 p.m., ESPN+).
In other City 6 games:
Drexel 71, Old Dominion 59: A late second-half surge from Amari Williams who finished with a team-high 16 points and 11 rebounds fueled a win for Drexel (1-0) in the Dragons’ home and season opener. Coletrane Washington added 15 points, shooting 4 of 7 from beyond the arc. Senior Ben Stanley led Old Dominion (0-1) with 18. Drexel is back in action at home on Tuesday against Penn (7 p.m., NBCSports Philadelphia)
Missouri 92, Penn 85: Clark Slajchert led the Quakers with 21 points and Jordan Dingle added 15 but the Tigers (2-0) would pull away in the second half fueled by a 28-point effort from junior forward Noah Carter. In the loss, Penn falls to 0-2 ahead of a game against Towson on Sunday (4 p.m., ESPN+).