St. Joe’s soars past La Salle in A-10 tourney opener

By Ray Floriani (@rfloriani)

Relying on a strong second half, Saint Joseph’s edged La Salle, 72-66, in the first round of the Atlantic 10 Tournament. Wednesday’s game at VCU’s Siegel Center saw the Hawks win their fourth straight and improve their overall record to 5-14. La Salle dropped to 9-16 to end its season. Next up for the Hawks is a date with UMass at 1 p.m. Thursday at Richmond’s Robins Center. 

In their first two meetings with the Explorers, the Hawks did not have a good first four minutes. At the first media timeout, with just under 16 minutes remaining, Saint Joseph’s held a 12-6 lead. The Explorers held a 57-55 lead with just under eight minutes to play. From that point, Saint Joseph’s went on a 17-9 run to regain the lead and eventually close out the contest.

“It’s disappointing,” said La Salle senior guard David Beatty. “We had the game plan and we got the looks. These are shots we hit in practice and in shootaround. We got those shots, but they didn’t fall.”

Ryan Daly, the Hawks’ prolific scorer, did not get into the scoring column until the 11-minute mark of the first half, a good sign for Billy Lange’s group as it showed early it would rely on offensive balance. Daly eventually scored a game high 23 points. 

“First half, I felt responsible for us being down,” Daly admitted. “Second half, Coach put me in the post. I was able to post up and score over defenders and pass out of the post. We basically executed that second half.”

Daly, in the words of La Salle coach Ashley Howard, is an example of hard work. 

“He wasn’t recruited as much out of high school,” Howard said. “He began his career at Delaware, then transferred to St. Joe’s. Through hard work and effort, he developed himself into one of the best players in our league. That’s something I want to impress on our young guys, how much hard work can do for you.”

 

Lange admitted his team lost a good deal of personnel, notably Daly, for a stretch during the year with injuries. At this juncture, the Hawks are coming together. 

“We’ve gotten players healthy, and it has given the opportunity for everyone to understand what we want,” Lange said. “We have progressed, and at this point, we just take it one game at a time. We are fortunate the A-10 gives us another chance to get out and play our brand of Hawk basketball.”

Besides Daly, the Hawks had Jordan Hall (17 points) and Taylor Funk (12) in double figures. Hall shot 10 of 11 from the line. La Salle was led by sophomore guard Jack Clark, with 12 points. Senior swingman Scott Spencer added 11. 

“They are a dangerous team,” Lange said of La Salle. “They can shoot the three and have speed and athleticism.”

A tough ending for the Explorers did produce a satisfying year, though. 

“I’m proud of my team and what they were able to accomplish,” Howard said. “In normal years, it is tough to manage expectations, and this year, with all the COVID issues, it was far from a normal year.”

“If we learn how to play together, we can be a really good team,” Howard noted. “That’s part of it. Having guys getting in the gym, working hard and just trying to get better. We have a young group, and this year, they did all they could. But I am excited for the future of this program.” 

Saint Joseph’s is set to play UMass for the first time this season on Thursday. 

“All I know is they have an NBA-type big man in Tre Mitchell and an excellent backcourt,” Lange said. “I won’t overburden our guys with prep. It’s important to be rested and not mentally overburdened. We’ll take the game and make adjustments as it progresses.”