City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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In the late-night edition of the first Big 5 doubleheader in over a decade, St. Joseph's got 17 points from DeAndre Bembry to power the Hawks past Penn, 75-60, for their fourth win in a row.

At First…
Behind seven early points from junior wing Matt Howard, Penn was tied with St. Joe’s through the first five minutes before a 13-2 run by the Hawks put them up 21-12 with nine minutes remaining in the opening period; another 8-0 run shortly thereafter had it at a 14-point game with five minutes left until halftime. A layup at the buzzer by freshman Lamarr Kimble gave the Hawks a 39-23 lead at the break.

Turning Point…
Penn came out of the locker rooms with a ton of energy, especially freshman guards Jake Silpe and Jackson Donahue. A Silpe steal turned into a Donahue 3-pointer that brought the Quakers back within 10 points five minutes into the second half, but that was as close as they would get. A fast-break dunk by Pierfrancesco Oliva and alley-oop slam from DeAndre Bembry re-ignited the Hawks' faithful, as St. Joe's would build its lead to as many as 19 down the stretch.

Standout Stars…
Bembry, St. Joe's star junior, had 17 points, eight rebounds, four assists and four steals in what's become a fairly typical all-around game for the 6-6 wing. He was one of four Hawks players in double figures, along with Aaron Brown (15), Isaiah Miles (13) and Shavar Newkirk (11).

For Penn, Silpe and Donahue showed why the Penn backcourt is in good hands over the next 3-plus seasons. Silpe, a Cherry Hill native, finished with 11 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals, while Donahue led all scorers with 19 points, shooting 6-of-15 as all of his attempts coming from behind the 3-point arc.

Noteworthy Number(s)...
9: The loss marks nine straight years where Penn has won one or fewer games in Big 5 play; the last time they didn't, in 2006-07, they were 2-2. Penn's last Big 5 championship was in 2001-02, when they went 4-0 and claimed the city title. Nine was also the number of two-point shots that Penn made, two fewer than its 11 3-pointers (on 38 attempts, a 28.9% clip).

4: St. Joseph's had a plus-four advantage in the rebounding department (46-42) and also turned it over four fewer times than Penn, 14 to 10.

Up Next...
Saint Joseph’s (15-3, 2-1 Big 5) @ La Salle (Jan. 23, 4 PM)
Penn (6-9, 1-3 Big 5) @ Yale (Jan. 29, 7 PM)