The Hawk
December 1, 2009
The momentum of three straight wins to open the season has quickly passed for the Saint Joseph's men's basketball team, as they travel to Cornell losers of three straight and in desperate need of a strong performance.
An upset of Boston College and strong first half against No. 7 ranked Purdue at the Paradise Jam seem distant memories for the Hawks (3-3), who hope to stay above the .500 mark when they meet the Big Red.
The Hawk's last loss came at the hands of Rider (5-3), a team they handled easily last year, 69-57, to open the season. It was a different story in Lawrenceville, N.J. this time around, as the Broncs rode a strong second half to an 81-73 victory.
Idris Hilliard, '11, led five Hawks in double figures with 13 points, followed by Justin Crosgile, '13, with 12 points in his first collegiate game. Garrett Williamson, '10, added 11 points, while Darrin Govens, '10, and Bryant Irwin, '12, each chipped in 10 Govens added seven assists on a night where the offense managed to shoot 44.3 percent (27 of 61) from the field.
It was a game that the Hawks lost in the lane thanks to a number of aggressive drives to the rim and lay-ins by the Broncs. Justin Robinson led all scorers with 21 points, while Jhamar Youngblood and Mike Ringgold each added 16.
Rebounding against was a weakness of the Hawks, who were out worked on the boards by a 40-30 margin. All the damage came on the offensive glass, where the Broncs pulled down 17 offensive boards to just six for St. Joe's.
The inability of the Hawks to hold their own in the low post is a major concern heading into the game against Cornell. The Big Red enter with a 5-2 record, with a Dec. 2 meeting at Bucknell to go before meeting the Hawks.
The game is just Cornell's second home contest in its eighth game of the season. They have played their last four in Pennsylvania-including the match-up with Bucknell-and recently collected three wins at the Legends Classic hosted by Drexel University. They toppled Toledo, Vermont, and the host Dragons by an average margin of 11 points in back-to-back-to-back days.
They handled Drexel fairly easily, leading most of the way except for a brief spell in the second half to secure a 61-54 win. Drexel took St. Joe's to overtime on Nov. 13 before the Hawks were able wriggle out of the Hagan Arena with a 77-67 triumph.
The Big Red are a formidable foe with several quality wins to their credit already this season. They toppled Alabama, a team that knocked off St. Joe's at the Maui Invitational last season, by a 71-67 margin in Tuscaloosa for their first win against a Southeastern Conference opponent in 37 years.
They also have a win against Massachusetts in Amherst on their resume thanks to a comprehensive 74-61 victory.
The driving force for Cornell this season has been Ryan Wittman, a 6-foot-7 senior forward who is leading the team in scoring at 17.1 points per game. He was voted the Most Valuable Player in the Legends Classic region, averaging 15 ppg in the tournament.
The Big Red roll out a deep lineup, with seven players averaging at least 16 minutes per game. With the exception of the starting backcourt tandem of Chris Wroblewski and Louis Dale, no one else in the top 12 players to see the court is under 6-foot-4, led by seven-footer Jeff Foote in the lane.
The name of the game for St. Joe's must be consistency in all facets of the game. Fouls have been a problem in the backcourt, as both Williamson and Govens have had to spend significant time on the bench for stretches already this season.
The supporting cast has provided a boost and scoring off the bench has been there, but it hasn't been enough.
Down low, Hilliard appears to be shaking off a slow start and is beginning to play well again. Todd O'Brien, '12, has put together some good stretches, but has yet to put in a strong effort for an entire 40 minutes. He was a catalyst in the first halves against both Holy Cross and Rider, but disappeared down the stretch in both contests.
The Hawks have shown flashes so far this season, but they will have to put those elements together and put forth a stronger total effort if they want to escape Ithaca with a win.
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