The Hawk continues to be alive and well.
St. Joe’s cruised to an 80-55 victory Saturday at Hagan Arena in an Atlantic 10 matchup against the Fordham Rams.
The win was the Hawks’ third in a row and 10th in their last 11 games. Twenty-five points is the largest margin of victory for St. Joe’s this season.
DeAndre’ Bembry led everybody with 26 points and 12 rebounds. The Hawks held Fordham’s two leading scorers, Mandell Thomas (15.3 points per game) and Ryan Rhoomes (14.2) to just eight and 10 points, respectively.
The Hawks are now 14-3 on the season and improve to 4-1 in the A-10. Fordham falls to 10-6 overall and 1-4 in the conference.
Have a day, DeAndre’
Opposing teams know what they face in Bembry game in and game out, but still the 6-foot-6 junior has the ability to take over any game he’s in. He came into the game against Fordham averaging 16.7 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.8 assists per game while starring as the focal point of the Hawks’ offense.
Bembry finished with his fifth double-double of the season, amassing 26 points and 12 rebounds. He shot 11 for 17 from the floor, creating shots with his work off the ball. Bembry started quiet, but took over the game midway through the first half as Fordham chipped into the St. Joe’s lead.
By the numbers
• St. Joe’s came into Saturday’s game averaging 10.9 offensive rebounds per game. The Hawks exceeded their season average, pulling down 13, including nine in the first half.
• Bembry and Isaiah Miles have each scored in double figures in all 17 games this season. Miles finished with 10 points and three boards.
• St. Joe’s had five scorers reach double figures.
• The Hawks were a 71.1 percent free throw shooting team coming into the game. They were 15 for 24 from the line.
• St. Joe's outscored the Rams, 44-32, in the paint.
First half
St. Joe’s jumped out to a quick 11-2 lead, holding Fordham without a bucket for nearly four minutes to open the game. The Hawks went cold, though, and made just two of their next 10 shot attempts. The Rams closed the deficit to six, before Bembry turned his game into high gear. He scored 14 of his game-high 26 points in the first, adding six boards and two assists in the opening frame.
The Hawks crashed the boards, especially on the offensive end. They came into the game averaging 10.9 offensive rebounds per game, and had nine in the first half. On the defensive end, St. Joe’s forced 10 Fordham turnovers and held the Rams’ top scorer Thomas to six points.
Up next
The Hawks have a pair of Big 5 games on tap for next week. On Wednesday, they will head to the Palestra to take on Penn at 9 p.m. before heading to La Salle on Saturday at 4 p.m.