Texas Tech University Athletics
Texas Tech Athletics
No. 1 Saint Joseph's
Red Raiders Fall To Hawks In Second Round, 70-65
March 20, 2004 | Men's Basketball
March 20, 2004
By JOHN WAWROW
AP Sports Writer
BUFFALO, N.Y. (AP) - Jameer Nelson and Delonte West showed why they're one of the best backcourts in the nation.
And it's because of them that Saint Joseph's is heading to the NCAA tournament's round of 16 for the first time in seven years
St. Joe's beat Texas Tech 70-65 on Saturday - and guess who's waiting for the Hawks in the next round? Billy Packer's alma mater Wake Forest.
"I guarantee you he won't be rooting for us," West said smiling.
West was on early and Nelson impressive late, the two combining for 39 points against Texas Tech.
West's contributions were particularly important, scoring 11 of his 15 points during a 24-2 first-half run that put the Hawks ahead for good. The outburst came after Nelson struggled, missing five of his first six shots.
"That's why we're a backcourt tandem, we know each other's needs," West said. "We really had no flow. I wasn't going to let the game get too far away from us."
Nelson, who scored 14 of his 24 points in the second half, deferred the credit to West, who also added eight assists.
"People are just now noticing him that he's one of the best players in country," said Nelson, a player of the year candidate. "I need him to be a first-team All-American with me. That's my backcourt mate. You know how much he means to me."
The Hawks (29-1) continue to prove worthy of their No. 1 seed, and will meet fourth-seeded Wake Forest (21-9) in next week's East Rutherford Regional semifinal.
Packer, a CBS analyst, isn't considered Saint Joseph's biggest fans.
Last weekend, Packer, who was a star player for the Demon Deacons in the early 1960s, questioned whether Saint Joseph's was worthy of a top seed. That led to a heated response from Hawks coach Phil Martelli.
Texas Tech coach Bob Knight is a Hawks believer.
"I told Phil that their team, from watching the film, I really liked and enjoyed watching them play," Knight said. "It's good for kids to see a really good team play the way those kids do."
Andre Emmett, the Big 12's all-time leading scorer, led Texas Tech (23-11) with 18 points.
For Knight, it marked the second time he's left Buffalo with a tournament loss. Knight coached what proved to be his last game with Indiana when the Hoosiers lost an opening round game 77-57 to Pepperdine in the 2000 tournament.
Saturday's game was much more compelling, not decided until the final moments.
Texas Tech erased a seven-point deficit by tying the game at 60 when Emmett hit one of two free throws with 5:09 remaining.
Pat Carroll responded with a 3-pointer, putting Saint Joseph's ahead. Nelson followed with a 3-pointer and then hit two free throws on the Hawks' next two possessions, giving Saint Joseph's a 68-62 lead with 75 seconds left.
The Red Raiders offense went cold, missing six of its last seven attempts, including Jarrius Jackson's awkward 3-point attempt with five seconds left.
Tech's Michael Marshall was impressed by how Saint Joseph's responded in the first half.
"We saw how scrappy they could be," said Marshall, who scored 14. "They made a run on us and that just put us behind."
It all began with the Red Raiders up 21-12.
Dave Mallon hit a 3-pointer, and West followed by scoring Saint Joseph's next nine points.
After hitting 18- and 8-footers, West put the Hawks up 22-21 with a 3-point basket with 9:45 left in the half. He then capped the run - in which Saint Joseph's hit eight straight shots - by completing a strong drive with a layup, giving the Hawks a 36-23 lead.
The Red Raiders seemed stunned during that eight-minute stretch, missing nine of 10 attempts before Marshall hit a 16-footer to cut the lead to 36-27 with 3:44 left.
"It's not a sense of relief," West said. "We're excited because of how the game ended up. We got down and we reeled them back in. We showed our toughness today."
