Saint Joseph's lost to VCU 78-69 on Friday night. (Photo: Aaron Bracy)
By AARON BRACY
January 18, 2025
PHILADELPHIA – At this point, it is really easy to figure out Saint Joseph’s.
If they shoot the three-pointer well, the Hawks have a good chance to win.
If they do not, like against VCU on Friday night at Hagan, chances are they will lose.
It’s really that simple.
St. Joe’s put up another stinker of a performance from the arc, shooting just 22.2 percent (8 of 36), in a disappointing 78-69 loss to VCU. Fifty percent of the Hawks’ field goal attempts came from long range, but that, like it or not, is just how they play.
For the season, 45.9 percent of all jumpers St. Joe’s has taken have come from three-point land, so having 36 of 72 tries from beyond the arc against VCU wasn’t all that surprising.
And neither was the result when measured against past performance.
In their 11 wins, the Hawks have shot 39.3 percent (116 of 295) from three-point range.
In their seven losses, St. Joe’s has made 27.1 percent (54 of 199) from deep.
Make the 3, win. Miss the 3, lose. It’s really that simple.
“This is the way we play,” Hawks coach Billy Lange said. “We attack the paint. If they decide they’re going to take it away—they doubled the post—those (three-pointers) are the shots, and sometimes you gotta make them. And tonight we didn’t. … We need to shoot the ball better, that’s for sure.”
As a team and individually, St. Joe’s has not been shooting it consistently well from deep all season. The Hawks entered Friday ranked 57th in the country in attempts per contest and 102nd in percentage. After Friday’s loss, their attempts per game increased from 26.9 per game to 27.4 while their percentage dropped from 35.4 to 34.4 percent. When the latest NCAA team statistics come out, St. Joe’s likely will be inside or near the top 50 in three-point attempts and closer to 150th than 100th in three-point percentage.
Individually, St. Joe’s starting guards of Xzayvier Brown (33.7 percent), Derek Simpson (36.3), and Erik Reynolds II (26.9) are hitting at a combined 31.0 percent (99 of 319) from three-point range this season.
Reynolds, who was selected as to the Atlantic 10’s First Team in the preseason, continued to struggle with his shot against the Rams. There was one forced attempt in the first half from the corner. But Lange was fine with Reynolds’s other tries. Shooters and good basketball players, like Reynolds, go through cold stretches sometimes. And Reynolds is right there, though it’s surprising that it has continued for this long. He missed nine of 11 three-pointers against VCU, dropping his season average more than 11 percentage points lower than last season when made 38.0 percent from the arc.
“When he gets going, our ceiling is pretty high,” Lange said. “He’s not going yet. But he will. He will. He’s got to keep shooting and keep his line in the water. If they’re good shots, and he’s in rhythm, I want him confidently taking those shots like he has for three years. I thought that he did that tonight. I’m just going to keep believing for him to do it. Hopefully, this (road) trip will get him going.”
In spite of its struggles swishing the nets, St. Joe’s was in the game for most of the night because of its spirited defense and the strong play of Rasheer Fleming (16 points, 14 rebounds).
VCU was clinging to a 57-53 lead with just under 10 minutes left when Max Shulga grabbed a key offensive rebound and fired it out to Phillip Russell for a three-pointer to stretch the margin to seven.
“That was a huge play,” VCU coach Ryan Odom said. “Max, he’s done that all year.”
Said Lange, “That sequence, to me, was the game. Max is a winner. Tough kid. And he made a great play there.”
The Hawks ran off the next seven points, capped by a Simpson three-pointer that, ironically, was ruled a two-pointer on the court—even when the Hawks make a shot from long range…—but then Jack Clark, who played his first three seasons at La Salle, surprisingly drained a pair of consecutive triples to give the Rams the lead for good.
Clark recently went through a five-game stretch where he missed all 15 shots from long range, and he’s at just 22.1 percent from the arc this season. So, it was surprising to see the Cheltenham High School product knock those two down.
“Huge,” Odom said.
In spite of his struggles from outside, especially recently, Odom said Clark has done many other things well to help VCU.
“He hasn’t made the shots recently, but he’s continued to do things that help us win: rebound the ball, defend, he’s an excellent passer, and he’s really good around the basket,” Odom said. “He’s found other ways to impact the team. It’s great to see him knock down those shots. He works every day.”
For the Hawks, they will get back to work in preparation for Tuesday’s game at Davidson and Friday’s contest at Dayton, ostensibly trying to find their strokes from long range.
Because when they hit the three-pointer, the Hawks have a good chance to win.
And when they don’t, chances are they will lose.
It’s really that simple.
—
Aaron Bracy has been covering Philadelphia sports since 1996. Follow Bracy on X: @Aaron_Bracy and like his Facebook and Instagram pages. His book on the 2003-04 Saint Joseph’s men’s basketball team is expected to be published on March 1, 2025. Read a summary and preorder it by clicking HERE. Contact him at aaron@big5hoops.com.