Things started out well for St. Joseph’s in their NIT opener. Carl Jones and Langston Galloway were hitting from the floor, scoring 23 of the 32 Hawks points in the first half. St. Joseph’s was out-shooting and out-rebounding the Red Storm, and only 9 first-half turnovers by the Hawks kept the halftime lead at a modest six points.
The Hawks continued to build their lead in the second half, as Carl Jones remained hot, finishing with a game-high 21 points. However, St. Joseph’s began to fall in love with the jump shot and stopped attacked the rim. The poor shot selection initiated a stretch where the Hawks shot just 2 for their next 19 from the field, as they went over 5 minutes without scoring a single point. St. John’s took advantage, as the Red Storm went on a 20-5 run to take a four point lead with 2 minutes left.
Down the stretch of the game is when things really got interesting. With nine seconds left and the Hawks down two, Phil Martelli took a timeout and drew up a fantastic play. With the Red Storm focusing on Jones and Galloway, Ronald Roberts, Jr. went off a nice back screen by Galloway to receive a wide open pass under the basket. He was fouled to prevent the easy lay-in, and hit both free throws to tie the game. However, the Hawks seemed to fall asleep defensively, allowing Sir’Dominic Pointer to dribble the length of the court and get off a fall-away 15-footer at the buzzer. Pointer’s shot went in and the Red Storm celebrated their first win in a month in front of a stunned St. Joseph’s crowd. Final score, 63-61.
The second half collapse was a fitting ending to a disappointing season for the Hawks. St. Joseph’s had a load of talent and played well at times, but often struggled to put it together for a full 40 minutes against tough competition. Among the key rotational players, only Carl Jones will be graduating, so hopefully the rest of the Hawks use this brutal loss as a learning experience going into next season.
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