Brooklyn, NY – Erik Reynolds II delivered a stellar performance with six three-pointers and a total of 26 points, but it was Justice Ajogbor’s clutch free throw with 13.7 seconds remaining that secured a thrilling 78-77 victory for Saint Joseph’s over Texas Tech on Thursday night in the UKG Legends Classic.
With this win, the Hawks (4-1) advance to the championship game on Friday, where they will face Texas, who defeated Syracuse 70-66. Meanwhile, the Red Raiders (4-1) will compete against the Orange in the consolation game.
Reynolds was on fire from beyond the arc, hitting 6 of 11 attempts. Xzayvier Brown contributed 20 points, though he struggled with his shooting, finishing 3 of 10 from the field but hitting all 13 of his free throws. Rasheer Fleming chipped in 14 points before fouling out with four minutes left in the game.
The Hawks demonstrated their long-range shooting prowess, converting 12 of 22 attempts from three-point territory.
For Texas Tech, JT Toppin had a standout performance, scoring 22 points and pulling down a career-high 18 rebounds, with 12 coming on the offensive end. Darrion Williams and Chance McMillian chipped in 18 and 17 points, respectively, but despite outrebounding Saint Joseph’s 44-28, the Red Raiders struggled from long range, making only 4 of 20 three-point attempts.
The final seven minutes of the game saw intense back-and-forth action, with five lead changes and five ties. Ajogbor stepped to the line with the score tied, and despite being a sub-50% free-throw shooter this season, he managed to sink the second of his two attempts after missing the first. A last-ditch jumper from Williams in the paint as time expired did not find the mark.
Texas Tech, down by 10 at halftime, ignited an early 8-0 run led by Toppin to close the gap to three points and stayed competitive throughout the second half. A three-point play by McMillian with less than seven minutes left marked the Raiders’ first lead since their opening basket of the game.
The Hawks had previously built a 16-point lead, but Texas Tech closed the first half strong, scoring six consecutive points in the final two minutes to narrow the deficit to 45-35 at halftime.
