City of Basketball Love

Jeff Griffith (@Jeff_Griffith21)
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RICHMOND, Va.--For the St. Joseph’s Hawks, their Atlantic-10 opener was a last-second thriller, with the Hawks (11-2, 3-0) prevailing on the road, 77-73, over the Richmond Spiders (8-5, 0-1), thanks to a late jumper by their star, DeAndre’ Bembry.

At First…
The first half was tight the whole way, with neither team taking a lead of more than eight points. Richmond started off hot, making their first three shots from beyond the arc to take a 13-5 lead early, but cooled down as St. Joe’s gained an 18-16 lead at the 12:44 mark.

From there, both teams would trade leads throughout the remainder of the half, with the Spiders leading 37-32 at the break.

Turning Point…
The second frame was eerily similar to the first, with Richmond quickly jumping out to a nine-point advantage. St. Joe’s, of course, responded immediately to go up 52-51 with 13:06 to go. Neither team would lead by more than five again.

The game ended up coming down to the final Richmond possession; after Bembry put St. Joe’s up 75-73 with 27 seconds to go, the Spiders were unable to respond, as the Hawks escaped with the road victory.

Shining Stars…
While Bembry’s late shot was the deciding play for St. Joe’s, their leading scorer was Isaiah Miles, who dropped 17 while ripping down an outstanding 16 rebounds. Bembry had 16 points of his own.

Richmond’s ShawnDre’ Jones was the game’s top scorer with 22 in the Spiders’ losing effort.

Noteworthy Numbers…
A clear key for St. Joe’s was their ability to knock down the three-ball; the Hawks went 11-of-21 from long distance, while Richmond went 8-of-23. The Hawks also out-rebounded the Spiders 40-33.

Up Next…
St. Joseph’s (11-2, 1-0) vs. VCU (Jan. 5, 7:00 p.m.)
Richmond (8-5, 0-1) vs. Rhode Island (Jan. 5, 7:00 p.m.)