St. Joseph’s beats UMass for first Atlantic 10 victory

The blood seeping through Langston Galloway's shorts - blotting out the Hawk and covering a large area over his right knee - was symbolic of St. Joseph's 67-64 win over Massachusetts on Saturday night at the Hagen Arena.

Without leading scorer Carl Jones, out with a sprained right ankle, the Hawks expected to grind this one out.

They expected production from every player. And just like in every game he coaches, Hawks coach Phil Martelli expected his team to play with heart.

"They've always shown heart," Martelli said after the Hawks snapped a nine-game losing streak, while improving to 6-17 overall and 1-8 in the Atlantic Ten. "That's where the jackasses 9 [who criticize the team] don't get it.

"These guys try hard . . . But to make the mistakes that we made and to stay in there with some guts and to have a good outcome - it will be easier to practice on Monday."

Jones is expected back for the Hawks' next game, next Saturday at Fordham.

Galloway led the Hawks in scoring, netting a career-high 25 points. The freshman guard went 6 for 6 from beyond the arc.

For the second time this season, all eight players who saw game action scored points for the Hawks.

"I was just in the zone tonight," said Galloway, who busted his knee open while diving for a lose ball early in the second half. "We all just sucked it up tonight and fought through all the adversity, so it was good."

Coming out of the break up by 27-23, the Hawks built a 13-point lead midway through the second half.

But with lights-out three-point shooting, UMass fought its way back and kept it close until the buzzer.

On four occasions late in the second half, UMass netted a three-pointer to cut the Hawks lead to one.

Freddie Riley, who led UMass with 14 points, was 4 for 7 from beyond the arc in the second half.

UMass shot a better percentage from three-point range (52.9 percent) than from the field (51.9) and the foul line (44.4) in the second half.

But despite the solid shooting, UMass never had the lead in the final period.

The Hawks turned in a gritty performance on the offense end, drawing 15 personal fouls in the second half while admittedly trying to limit UMass' possessions by milking the shot clock.

Martelli also noted how pleased he was with Galloway's defense on Anthony Gurley, the only player on his team averaging double figures in scoring (20.3). He was held to 10 points.

Galloway is a "wonderful, caring kid," Martelli said. "He's been grinding so hard on himself and I'm happy for him."

A late run sent the Hawks into halftime up four.

Though they looked aggressive early on, the Hawks struggled to hit shots through most of the first half.

But with 4:01 left in the half, Patrick Swilling drained a three from the top of the key, starting St. Joe's on an 11-2 run to finish the half.

"It just feels good to get a win," said Daryus Quarles, who finished with 11 points and five rebounds. "It feels like a weight was lifted off our shoulders. We were just tired of losing."