Saint Joseph’s Weathers Push From Desperate Ramblers

PHILADELPHIA—Saint Joseph’s Men’s Basketball flirted with disaster against last-place Loyola University Chicago on Saturday, Feb. 21, but managed to ride a late run to an 75-61 win on Hawk Hill.

Hawks’ (17-10, 9-5 A-10) sophomores Jaiden Glover-Toscano and Dasear Haskins traded baskets with 23 points each, combining to score 23 straight points for Saint Joseph’s inside the nine minute mark as they weathered a late push from the Ramblers that cut the lead to 46-42. Derek Simpson (11 points, 10 assists) notched a double-double and opened up passing lanes for his teammates.

Loyola made nine of 16 three-point shots in the second half after going 0-for-10 in the first 20 minutes, Deywilk Tavarez and Kayde Dotson dropping in four apiece. The Hawks pushed their lead as high as 17 points and never trailed, but that hot shooting helped the Ramblers cut the deficit to four with just over 11 minutes to play. Saint Joseph’s head coach Steve Donahue called a pair of timeouts as he tried to help his team weather the storm: after the second, Glover-Toscano scored five straight points, setting up his and Haskins’ late push.

Saint Joseph’s defense held the Ramblers to an 0-for-8 streak in the first six minutes, setting the tone with nine first half turnovers. The Hawks’ offense took time to warm up, making 11 of 29 first half shots and running cold for extended stretches, but their defensive pressure — and timely buckets from Haskins — helped them respond to Loyola’s pushes.

Up next, Saint Joseph’s will host George Mason at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 25 with the No. 3 seed in the A-10 on the line.