NEW YORK — Saint Joseph’s may have just punched its ticket into the NCAA Tournament — and in thrilling fashion.
The Hawks (25-7, 14-5 Atlantic 10) willed themselves past fellow at-large bid contender George Washington and into the Atlantic 10 Tournament semifinals, 86-80, overcoming a 14-point halftime deficit in the process.
After getting burned by the Colonials’ (23-10, 11-8) three-point shooters in the first half, the Hawks’ man defense buckled down as junior forward DeAndre' Bembry spearheaded a strong inside attack that chipped away at the George Washington lead.
Turning point
Isaiah Miles’ one-handed fastbreak slam off a feed from Bembry with 2:28 to go provided the biggest flourish of the Hawks’ deciding 8-0 run, sending a sizable contingent of Saint Joseph’s fans at the Barclays Center into a frenzy and forcing George Washington to call timeout.
Big men on campus
Saint Joseph’s: After being honored pregame for winning A-10 Player of the Year honors, Bembry proceeded to show why he deserved the accolade. He willed the Hawks back to life after they looked D.O.A in the early going, scoring 14 of his 21 points in the second half
George Washington: Point guard Alex Mitola provided a huge lift for the Colonials off the bench. The graduate transfer from Dartmouth hit three threes, including a momentum-killer off a tip-out early in the second half.
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Statistical significance
Saint Joseph’s surrendered a season high 15 three-pointers, 11 of which came in the first half. It had entered Friday with the A-10’s best three-point field goal percentage in conference games (.314).
Bembry extended his streak of scoring in double figures to 35 consecutive games.
Five Hawks scored in double figures (Bembry, Miles, James Demery, Isaiah Miles, Aaron Brown).
The 14-point deficit at the half was the largest the Hawks had overcome all season.
Eight different Colonials hit three-pointers.
Series history
Saint Joseph’s is now 5-3 when it faces George Washington in the A-10 tournament.
Up next
The Hawks will face top-seeded Dayton in the tournament semifinals on Saturday (1:30 p.m., CBS Sports Network). They beat the Flyers, 79-70, in their only regular-season meeting back on Feb. 17 at Hawk Hill.
The Colonials will find out on Selection Sunday whether or not they will get an at-large bid into the NCAA tournament.