The Hawk

Issue date: 12/9/05 Section: Sports

Dwayne Lee celebrates his the Hawks victory over Kansas

Dave Mallon was trapped.

Following a missed free throw by Abdulai Jalloh with 2:15 remaining, Mallon grabbed the long rebound in the corner. Two Kansas defenders immediately surrounded him.

Timeout.

There was no fancy play-no long outlet pass, no move to try and beat the defenders. Mallon cradled the ball and signaled for a timeout.

It was a simple, experienced play.

In the end, that was the difference maker. Saint Joseph's rode their three seniors to a 70-67 win over the Kansas Jayhawks-a team that starts three sophomores, a freshman, and a senior.

"I think that leadership and experience was key," said Dwayne Lee. "They had great athletes, great young players, but we had older players that were just as good. That experience is what carries it over, gets us over the hump in tight situations."

It was the experience that was a momentum change.

Martelli subbed Mallon and Rob Ferguson, defense for offense, at every change of possession after the 2:15 mark. In just under 30 seconds, Mallon secured an offensive rebound-his only of the game-and forced a Kansas turnover. On the last play of the game, Mallon contested Micah Downs' three point shot from the wing. It never looked good from the moment he released the ball.

"He's a player that makes all the small plays that helps you win games," head coach Phil Martelli said of Mallon. "You need guys like that, not every guy is going to score a lot of points for you."

But, you still need guys who can score.

Chet Stachitas can do just that. Especially when it matters. The senior scored 27 points, and was a perfect 5-5 from the field in the second half. Four of them were three pointers. Three gave the Hawks the lead, including two back-to-back threes that broke a 53-53 tie and ended up giving the Hawks a 59-55 lead.

Stachitas' final three pushed the Saint Joseph's lead to four. Kansas wouldn't get any closer until a Russel Robinson three with 21.4 seconds left to cut the lead to two.

It was a spectacular individual effort, but it was also teamwork.

"What I like about Chet's three point shooting is that they're open shots," Martelli said. "Which means his teammates are delivering the ball properly, he's being properly screened."

But the end result still came down to Stachitas, whose legs must have been killing him after the game. He played a full 40 minutes, and was, as Martelli described it, "always in motion."

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools