Rasheer Fleming scored 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting as Saint Joseph’s topped visiting Villanova, 83-76, in a Big 5 matchup Tuesday in Philadelphia.
Xzayvier Brown shot just 4-of-18 for the Hawks (2-1) but finished with 18 points and 13 assists. Derek Simpson chipped in 16 points for St. Joe’s, while Anthony Finkley made four 3-pointers en route to 12 points.
Eric Dixon registered 24 points and nine rebounds to pace the Wildcats (2-2), while Jhamir Brickus pitched in 22 points.
The game was part of the Big 5 Classic series in which the six Division I programs in the Philadelphia area compete for the city crown. St. Joe’s defeated Villanova in this event last year – snapping an 11-game losing streak in the series – on its way to winning the inaugural event.
In this one, the Hawks trailed 60-59 with under seven minutes left before Brown scored six straight points, capped by a jumper with 5:09 remaining, to put St. Joe’s ahead by five.
Kris Parker’s 3-pointer with 3:39 left got Villanova within 67-65, but Fleming, Erik Reynolds II and Brown converted layups on the next three trips for the Hawks as the lead swelled to 73-65.
The Wildcats scored the next five points, capped by Brickus’ three-point play, but Fleming scored six points in the final minute, including a jumper with 19 seconds to play to make it 79-74.
Brickus’ 3-pointer gave Villanova a 29-21 edge with about five minutes left in the first half. However, St. Joseph’s chipped away, inching within 37-36 on Brown’s 3-pointer just before the halftime buzzer.
Early in the second half, Dixon knocked down a 3-pointer and a layup on back-to-back possessions, giving the Wildcats a 42-38 lead.
Villanova then went nearly five minutes without scoring, however, as the Hawks went ahead by 11 points. Finkley (two 3-pointers), Reynolds (five points) and Fleming (four points) combined for all of the scoring during the 15-0 burst.
Not long thereafter, the Hawks went three-plus minutes without a point and about five minutes without a field goal. During that drought, the Wildcats got within 57-56 on Wooga Poplar’s 3-pointer with 8:48 to play.
