PHILADELPHIA — In a spirited game on Wednesday night, Xzayvier Brown propelled Saint Joseph’s to a 75-64 victory over St. Bonaventure by racking up an impressive 22 points. Brown wasn’t just pivotal on the scoreboard; he also hauled in 10 rebounds to drive the Hawks’ (18-10, 10-6 Atlantic 10 Conference) performance. Complementing Brown, Rasheer Fleming made significant contributions with 19 points, hitting 9 out of 13 shots (including 1 of 5 from beyond the arc), alongside six rebounds and three blocks. Meanwhile, Derek Simpson managed to score 11 points by shooting 4 for 11 from the field and 2 for 7 from three-point land.
On the opposition side, St. Bonaventure (19-10, 7-9) saw Melvin Council Jr. top the scoresheet for his team, putting up 18 points in addition to snagging eight rebounds and delivering four assists. Lajae Jones also added valuable points with 14 and chipped in defensively with four steals, while Noel Brown contributed 13 points and matched his team’s leading rebound count with eight.
The first half concluded with both teams deadlocked at 35 apiece. However, the turning point came early in the second half when Xzayvier Brown delivered a pivotal 3-pointer with 14:46 on the clock, pushing Saint Joseph’s to a 46-44 lead which they would not relinquish.
Looking ahead, Saint Joseph’s is set to face Fordham on the road this coming Saturday, while St. Bonaventure will have a week to regroup before hosting UMass on March 5.
