Sport Information: Saturday, December 6, 2025 – 4:30 p.m.
Location: Xfinity Cell Enviornment – Philadelphia, Pa.
Tickets | TV: NBC Sports activities Philadelphia | Pay attention: sjuhawks.com | Stay Stats: sjuhawks.com | Saint Joseph’s Sport Notes | Temple Sport Notes
Social Media
Twitter/X: @sjuhawks_mbb | Instagram: @sjuhawks_mbb
Opening Tip
The Saint Joseph’s takes on one in every of its oldest rivals, going through the Temple Owls within the Massive 5 Traditional on Saturday, December 6. Tipoff from Xfinity Cell Enviornment is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. with the sport airing on NBCSP.
Rivalry Renewed
The Massive 5 Traditional options essentially the most frequent and one of many oldest rivals for Saint Joseph’s because it faces the Temple Owls. Saturday is the 162nd all-time assembly between the faculties. It’s the second time the groups are assembly within the Massive 5 Traditional, having beforehand met within the 2023 championship recreation. Half of the video games between the Hawks and the Owls have been impartial web site video games. Along with the prior Massive 5 Traditional recreation, 44 have been at The Palestra, 20 at Conference Corridor, one at Philadelphia Enviornment and the rest coming in MAC and A-10 Convention tournaments.
One Away
Justice Ajogbor is on the precipice of creating St. Joe’s historical past as he at the moment sits at 99 blocked photographs as a Hawk. With another rejection, he’ll develop into the twelfth participant in SJU historical past with 100 profession swats. The Benin Metropolis, Nigeria native is 17 away from cracking the Saint Joseph’s top-10, at the moment held by Ronald Roberts (2010-14) with 116. Mixed with the 97 he had at Harvard, Ajogbor enters Saturday’s recreation third on the Division I lively profession blocks checklist with 196, trailing solely Justin Abson (210) of Georgia and Felix Okpara (205) from Tennessee. His 86 rejections final season had been fifth nationally in NCAA D1.
Towering Over The Competitors.
With Justice Ajogbor (6’10”), Jaden Smith (6’11”) and Steven Solano (7’0″), the Hawks’ roster is loaded with top. Solely eight opponents for St. Joe’s have three or extra gamers who’re 6’10” or taller, led by 5 on Duquesne’s roster. Three groups – Princeton, Coppin State and Rutgers-Camden – should not have a participant on their squad that’s taller than 6’9″. Temple has one participant taller than 6’10”, senior Mohamed Keita at 7’1″.
Quickly Swiss
Saturday is the second of back-to-back impartial web site video games for Saint Joseph’s, beforehand performed Princeton at CURE Insurance coverage Enviornment on November 30. The video games are the one two impartial web site video games on the SJU common season schedule. St. Joe’s performed 4 common season impartial web site video games in 2024-25.
Hey, I Know You!
When the Hawks and Owls meet on Saturday, former teammates will face one another for the primary time. Derek Simpson and Gavin Griffiths every had been members of the 2023-24 Rutgers staff that included a win in opposition to No. 11 Wisconsin. As a sophomore that season, Simpson appeared in all 32 video games for the Scarlet Knights, beginning 25 and averaged 8.3 factors, 3.2 rebounds and a pair of.9 assists per recreation. Griffiths got here in as a highly-ranked recruit and averaged 5.8 factors and a pair of.2 rebounds a recreation.
The Highway Not Taken
The 2025-26 non-conference schedule sees St. Joe’s board planes, trains and vehicles greater than it has in current reminiscence. SJU travels 6,021 miles for its street and impartial web site video games this season, not counting video games throughout the metropolis of Philadelphia. Final yr, the Hawks traveled simply 192 miles in non-conference play, taking over Texas Tech and Texas within the Legends Traditional in Brooklyn. The 6k+ miles Saint Joseph’s checks in at for non-conference video games this season are greater than the previous three seasons mixed.
Scouting Report
- Temple enters play 4-4 general and is coming off a 74-56 setback in opposition to Villanova on Monday evening. The Owls stored it shut early because it was a two-point recreation at halftime. TU was chosen ninth of 13 groups in The American preseason ballot.
- Three gamers common double figures in scoring for Temple, led by Derrian Ford at 16.5 factors per recreation. Former Delaware State Participant of the 12 months, Aidan Tobiason, has taken some massive steps ahead and is netting 15.2 an evening after scoring simply 4.8 per recreation final yr. Jordan Mason rounds out the trio, tallying 10.5 an outing. Gavin Griffiths is pulling in 4.6 rebounds a recreation. Mason has 29 assists
- As they’ve in years previous, the Owls will take lots of three-pointers as 34.7 p.c of their photographs come from past the arc. They’re making greater than earlier seasons beneath the present teaching employees, rating within the top-100 nationally at 36.4 p.c. Even with all of the treys, Temple has discovered its method to the road so much, rating thirty sixth nationally at 26.5 free throw makes an attempt per recreation. TU has held on to the ball as properly, sitting third within the nation with simply 8.8 turnovers a contest.
- Temple must worth the ball as they don’t pressure lots of miscues, rating 352nd out of 361 NCAA D1 groups at simply 9.25 turnovers compelled per recreation. It additionally permits opponents to shoot 38.1 p.c from past the arc. Rebounding has additionally been powerful as it’s twelfth of 13 groups in The American at 33.1 boards per contest.
- Adam Fisher is in his third season as the pinnacle coach of the Owls with a report of 37-39 on North Broad Avenue. He led Temple on a magical run to the title recreation of the 2023 convention match the place the Owls turned simply the third staff in NCAA historical past to play 5 video games in 5 days in its convention championship.
All-Time Sequence
Saturday is the 162nd all-time assembly between Saint Joseph’s and Temple with the Owls holding a 90-71 collection benefit. The 161 earlier video games performed are essentially the most in opposition to any opponent at school historical past and mark one in every of solely three groups SJU has performed 100 or extra instances (La Salle – 145; Rhode Island – 112). The groups first met within the 1912-13 season, a 35-24 St. Joe’s win.
Final Time In opposition to Temple
Rasheer Fleming scored a then career-high 22 factors, pulled in 9 rebounds as Saint Joseph’s claimed the primary Massive 5 Traditional championship with a 74-65 win in opposition to Temple on December 2, 2023. Erik Reynolds II and Cam Brown every scored 11 within the contest. Brown had six rebounds. Reynolds dished 5 assists. The Hawks led wire-to-wire, scoring the primary 5 factors, ultimately going up 27-15 with 4:16 left within the first half earlier than taking an 11-point benefit on the break. Temple pulled as shut as 4 within the second half, however SJU went 6-for-6 on the free throw line within the last 34 seconds to seal the win.
Beginning the Vacation Season Early
The Hawks have been in a giving temper early as for a second consecutive recreation, the Hawks delivered 25 assists with its efficiency in opposition to the Scarlet Raptors. SJU additionally had 25 assists at UNLV on November 20. The 25 dimes in opposition to the Runnin’ Rebels got here on 26 made baskets. The 96.2 p.c help charge is the best in NCAA Division I this season, topping the 96.0 p.c (24-of-25) by Niagara in opposition to Delaware State on November 10. Three St. Joe’s gamers rank within the top-25 within the A-10 in assists per recreation. At 16.6 helpers per contest, the Hawks are within the top-85 nationally.
Subsequent Up
St. Joe’s returns to Hagan Enviornment, going through the Coppin State Eagles on Tuesday, December 9. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. with the sport to air on ESPN+.
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