Steve Donahue’s group used a late second-half surge to cruise to a 70-58 win over Davidson, and win its seventh game in a row.
A pair of 12-2 scoring runs helped the Hawks pull away from the Wildcats, setting up a showdown tomorrow afternoon against Phil Martelli, Jr.’s VCU Rams. The winner plays for the championship on Sunday, and thus, the right to play in the NCAA Tournament.
St. Joe’s defense has been its calling card this season, and it was the catalyst for the Hawks’ scoring runs in their win over Matt McKillop’s Wildcats. The defense, turned into transition opportunities for their lightning quick guard duo of Derek Simpson and Khaafiq Myers, has really added another gear to one of the hottest teams in the A-10.
“Our defense is always our cornerstone,” said Donahue.
“We don’t foul, we really guard, and make it difficult. I thought there were stretches in that game that we took Davidson out of what they wanted to do. When we do that, you can feel the energy.”
When St. Joe’s defends the way it did Friday, it leans on its speed to get out and get easy baskets. The Hawks had 20 fast-break points against Davidson.
“We’re very good in transition, and that has a lot to do with Derek Simpson,” Donahue said of his point guard. “His ability to go foul line to foul line, he’s extremely athletic, and on top of that, he’s got great vision. Those stretches were fueled by the defense, and when that happens, you see us move the ball and share it.”
It helps when you have a blur in transition like Simpson, who was officially named to the all-A-10 first team this week. The Rutgers transfer turned in another stellar performance Friday, with 16 points, five rebounds, six assists and just two turnovers. He was totally in control in transition and the half-court, no matter the different defensive looks McKillop showed.
For the second year in a row in the quarterfinals, Justice Ajogbor, who was named the A-10’s Co-Defensive Player of the Year, turned in a monster performance to send the Hawks to the conference’s final four.
A season ago, Ajogbor registered seven blocks in an overtime win against Dayton in Washington, D.C. On Friday, he was just two points off of a career-high that he set just six days ago, putting up 18 points, 10 of which came in the second half. He threw down a couple of huge dunks, and some baskets in deep that Davidson quite frankly just did not have the manpower in the paint to stop.
Offensively, a lot more has been asked of Ajogbor. The ball is in his hands in the short roll more as teams double-team Simpson and force the ball out of his hands. Additionally, when his teammates can get into the paint and throw a lob to him, or hit him with a dump-off pass, Ajogbor has cashed in. It’s been quite the development in Donahue’s eyes.
“He’s getting more opportunities than he ever has,” Donahue said of the Harvard transfer Ajogbor, against whom he coached while at Penn. “We run an offense that’s predicated on the big being able to handle the ball. He’s really gotten better. There’s a noticeable confidence when he gets the ball in tight spots that he’s able to finish.”
Ajogbor is all about winning at the end of the day, though. The points are great, but there is a larger goal ahead. He doesn’t want the Hawks’ season to come to an end in the semifinals for a third straight year.
“I always do whatever it takes to win, and that’s how I think about playing basketball,” he said. “If my teammates pass me the ball, then I’m going to play my role.”
St. Joe’s is now just one game away from playing for an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Three months ago, this scenario seemed like an impossibility. Now, the Hawks have earned another opportunity to compete together, inching closer to their ultimate goal of playing in March Madness.
“We always trusted ourselves and trusted the staff,” Ajogbor said. “I think we all have to believe we had what it took in that locker room. To kind of vindicate ourselves is an awesome feeling.”
“But the goal isn’t to get to the semifinals again. We’re looking forward to tomorrow, but we know what we’ve got to do to get to where we want.”
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