St. Joseph’s 84, William & Mary 69: Stats, highlights, and reaction from Hawks’ win

Ryan Daly has been as reliable as duct tape this season. He was up to his normal tricks, hitting pull-up threes and making tough finishes around William and Mary’s towering frontcourt. Like so many times this season, that wasn’t going to be enough to get the win.

Enter Myles Douglas.

Douglas knocked down four three-pointers and scored a career-high 19 points to help Daly and St. Joseph’s secure a 84-69 win at Hagan Arena. The win snapped the Hawks’ eight-game losing streak.

The two had their best moment early in the second half. Leading by seven, Douglas knocked down a right-wing three, which was followed by a steal and pull-up three by Daly seconds later. The Hawks’ lead never got smaller than seven again.

St. Joe’s isn’t shy about shooting. Each of the nine Hawks who played attempted a three-pointer. The long-range shooting was the biggest difference. The Hawks made 16 of their 43 threes while the Pride made only 8 of 26. St. Joe’s set a team record for three-point attempts in a game, and the Hawks’ 16 threes were their most in a game this season.

Daly led the Hawks with 27 points. Douglas wasn’t the only player who stepped up. Chereef Knox and Anthony Longpre added 10 and 11 points, respectively.

“A three is only worth three points, but it’s like a dagger,” Daly said. “If we hit 16 threes, we’re going to be hard to beat.”

“Winning and losing are both very phony if you don’t really investigate what went into it," coach Billy Lange said. ”In reality, we got the same shots against Temple that we did against UConn, but we didn’t make them. We just talk about competing.

“We’re there. We’re that close. These guys have kept their joy despite the circumstances, and I’m proud of them,” Lange said.

The Hawks were tied or led for all but 21 seconds. Each time the Tribe climbed within 10, the Hawks would knock down two threes to put the game back out of reach.

Every team that St. Joe’s plays has seen Daly’s numbers. They all know that the Hawks’ success depends on whether the other players can contribute. Douglas’ 19 was the most by a Hawks player other than Daly since their last win.

Live-ball turnovers fuel the Hawks’ offense. When they are able to get in transition, they’re usually able to get a wide-open look for three.

The Tribe’s frontcourt featured a seven-footer and a 6-foot-10 forward in the starting lineup. The scrappy Hawks managed to get one more rebound, 39-38, and they never looked as if the size gave them a problem.