Daily Cup of City 6 (1/23/14)

By Sean Kennedy

Yesterday’s Action

Saint Joseph’s 61, Rhode Island 57

Despite finally experiencing the inevitable cool-off from the perimeter, St. Joe’s still found a way to get things done Wednesday night, holding on to edge out Rhode Island a win their fourth-straight game. After leaving scorched earth in his wake the last couple games from three, Langston Galloway was just 1-4 from downtown against the Rams. However, the senior guard still found a way to contribute by attacking the defense and getting to the line, sinking 8 of 10 attempts from the charity stripe.

Of course, the Hawks still would not have prevailed with the efforts of Ronald Roberts, Jr., who finished with a game-high 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 blocks. He and Galloway combined for 13 points during a crucial 18-2 run in the second half that saw the Hawks re-gain and extend the lead to 10 points, just enough to hold on despite a late flurry by Xavier Munford (team-high 16 points). Having now won 9 of their last 10 games, St. Joe’s still needs to come up with a couple marquee victories against the likes of UMass and St. Louis, but they’re doing all they can right now to do some dancing in March.

Box Score

St. Bonaventure 66, La Salle 51

As a huge snowstorm ravaged the East Coast, the weather in western New York was bitterly cold, but still couldn’t compare to the frigid shooting of the Explorers as they ended a 5-game winning streak with a loss to the Bonnies. La Salle shot just 30% from the field, with D.J. Peterson’s 4-6 effort representing the only Explorer to go 50% or better. Tyreek Duren and Tyrone Garland scored 16 and 14 points, respectively, to lead the way for La Salle, but neither was particularly efficient in reaching those totals.

St. Bonaventure wasn’t exactly lighting the world on fire either, but finally used an 11-0 run late in the second half to pull away. La Salle turned the ball over three times during that run and were plagued by giveaways all game, particularly center Steve Zack who turned it over 6 times in just 15 minutes of action. The Explorers were bound to have an off night eventually and a road loss to a solid Bonnies squad isn’t the end of the world. They’ll look to rebound this weekend against VCU.

Box Score