City of Basketball Love

Josh Verlin (@jmverlin)
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Facing its toughest test of the young season, Saint Joseph’s couldn’t shoot well enough from the 3-point line or foul stripe to knock off Florida, losing 74-63 in the semifinals of the Hall of Fame Tip-Off at Mohegan Sun Resort in Uncasville, Conn.

At First…
After St. Joe’s began the game with a 14-5 lead, Florida quickly responded and the two teams stayed even the rest of the first half, which ended with Florida up 34-33 thanks to a late 3-pointer by sophomore guard Chris Chiozza.

Turning Point…
After Saint Joseph’s went up 59-53 with 6:39 remaining, a quick five-point burst by Florida closed the gap and kicked off a 17-3 run for the Gators that put them up by eight with 80 seconds to play and put the game out of reach. The backbreaker was a 3-pointer by Dorian Finney-Smith with 1:18 remaining, his third of the afternoon.

Standout Stars…
Hawks wing James Demery continued a strong start to his sophomore season, setting a new career high with 15 points in the first half alone. The 6-5 native of North Carolina finished with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, adding in six rebounds and two assists.

Noteworthy Numbers…
Saint Joseph’s has struggled from 3-point range this season, making just 26.7 percent (16-of-60) over their first three games. But the Hawks out-did themselves by missing every triple they took over the first 29 minutes of the game until freshman Lamarr Kimble finally buried one from deep. They finished 3-of-18 (16.7 percent) overall.

In addition to 3-point shooting, foul shots also hurt St. Joe’s. The Hawks got to the line 27 times but made just 16, a 59 percent rate, while Florida was 14-of-20 (70 percent).

Florida won the rebounding battle, 46-35, including an 18-8 advantage on the offensive glass.

Up Next...
Saint Joseph’s (3-1) vs. Old Dominion (3-1) (Nov. 22, 12:00 p.m.)
Florida (3-0) vs. Purdue (4-0) (Nov. 22, 5:30 p.m.)