La Salle dominates second half in comeback win over St. Joseph’s

It was a tale of two halves Monday afternoon at a packed Hagan Arena when St. Joseph’s hosted La Salle in an Atlantic 10 showdown.

The Explorers spotted the Hawks a nine-point lead before storming back in the second half to post their first conference win, 75-64. Jack Clark led La Salle (6-8, 1-3) with 21 points and Clifton Moore added 16 for La Salle (6-8, 1-3), which outscored the Hawks 51-31 in the second half.

Taylor Funk led St. Joe’s (7-8, 1-3) with 16 points. Hall, who was averaging 16 points for the Hawks, scored only 11 in their third straight A-10 loss.

St. Joe’s started the game slow offensively, making only two of its first 13 shots. During that span, Funk and Jordan Hall were forcing shots early in the shot clock. Luckily for the Hawks, La Salle didn’t come out of the gates much stronger. The Explorers made just three of their first 13 shots. The first 10 minutes of the game included a combined six turnovers for both teams.

“I thought we got good shots,” St. Joe’s coach Billy Lange said of his team’s slow start. “I thought there were a lot of shots that were very open that we have to make.”

The drought wouldn’t last for the Hawks, though. St. Joe’s went on a 26-12 run to close out the half, capitalizing on a seven-minute stretch that included only two field goals from the Explorers.

La Salle shot just 27% from the field in the first half, but was able to keep its deficit within 10points with free throws.

St. Joseph’s led 33-24 at halftime.

After starting the season on a scoring tear –– Funk was averaging 19 points after St. Joe’s first six games –– he seemed to regress offensively over their last two conference games, both losses for the Hawks. Monday’s contest was an opportunity for Funk to establish himself again within the offense. He did just that.

The 6-foot-8 redshirt senior scored 16 points, with 12 coming in the first half. After sinking his third three-pointer in the first half, Funk moved up in the Hawks’ record book, passing Darrin Govens for third-most three-pointers in St. Joe’s history with 245.

“What I look for in [Funk] is consistency,” said Lange. “His job as a captain is to make sure we are in a good spot.”

The first few minutes of the game notwithstanding, Funk let the offense come to him, capitalizing on transition three-point shots. In the second half, Hall’s presence was felt more on defense and as a facilitator than as a scorer. In the second half, Funk had an assist, a steal, a block, and two defensive rebounds.

The same offensive drought that stymied the Hawks at the beginning of the game returned early in the second half. Their nine-point halftime lead quickly dissipated as La Salle opened the second half on a 23-10 run that lasted nearly 10 minutes, featuring numerous St. Joe’s ill-advised shots and turnovers.

“We have to be more fundamental,” Lange said.

The Hawks return to the court Wednesday, facing George Washington in a conference matchup. La Salle heads to Rhode Island for their next game, also on Wednesday.