Jan. 3, 2013

PHILADELPHIA - The Saint Joseph's men's basketball team (7-4) will open up the New Year by traveling to Morgan State (3-7) on Saturday. Game time at Hill Fieldhouse is 4 p.m.

The game will be broadcast on SportsRadio 610 WIP with Matt Martucci and Joe Lunardi calling the action. Audio streaming of the game will be available on SJUHawks.com free of charge. LISTEN LIVE

Fans can also access the broadcast on their mobile devices by going to IRadioPhilly.com

It will be the final tuneup for Atlantic 10 Conference play, which begins on January 9 with the Hawks hosting Butler in a game that will be televised on The Comcast Network.

GAME NOTES

• C.J. Aiken pitched a perfect game, hitting every shot he took in the win over Drexel. The junior had 19 points, eight rebounds and a season-high six blocks.

• Carl Jones was named the Atlantic 10 and Big 5 Player of the Week for Dec. 31 after he led the Hawks to the win over Iona by scoring a season-high 32 points.

• Following today's matchup, the Hawks will still have one more non-conference game remaining when they play Penn in a Big 5 contest on Jan. 19.

• Conference play begins on January 9 when the Hawks host new A-10 member Butler at Hagan Arena. SJU will then go on the road for two straight at Duquesne and first-year Atlantic 10 member VCU.

LAST TIME OUT: C.J. Aiken had a "perfect game," scoring 19 points, pulling in eight rebounds, and blocking a season-high six shots as Saint Joseph's closed out 2012 with a 63-49 victory over Drexel. Aiken was 6-of-6 from the floor, including 2-of-2 from three-point range, and 5-of-5 from the free-throw line in the game. Langston Galloway finished with 13 points, while Carl Jones chipped in with 11. With the Dragons on top, 15-8, Halil Kanacevic converted a layup at 8:50 to end a nearly seven-minute stretch without a field goal for the Hawks. Drexel took its largest lead of the game, 18-10, but Aiken notched six points during a 13-0 run to end the first half as SJU went into the lockerroom on top by 23-18. SJU came out firing in the second half, extending a five-point margin to as many as 17. The Hawks shot 50 percent from the field in the second half and never trailed, scoring 11 of the first 13 points of the frame and pushing their run to 24-2 over 13 minutes across both halves. Aiken closed out his stat line with a three-point play with three minutes to go to give SJU a 56-43 advantage before a pair of free throws by Galloway and a tip-in by Chris Wilson pushed the advantage to 60-43 with 2:04 left.

PICTURE PERFECT: C.J. Aiken made every shot he took at Drexel, going 6-for-6 from the field, 2-for-2 from beyond the arc and 5-for-5 from the foul line to notch a team-high 19 points. The junior also recorded eight rebounds and a season-high six blocked shots. In the win over Iona on Dec. 28, Aiken scored a career-high 22 points, while posting nine rebounds and four blocks.

MORE ON C.J.: In the past two wins, C.J. Aiken has averaged 20.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 5.0 blocked shots. He's shooting 80 percent (12-for-15) from the field, 100 percent (4-for-4) from 3-point range and 92.8 percent (13-for-14) from the foul line. On the year, the junior is averaging 12.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

THEY'RE BACK: Sophomore Evan Maschmeyer is now cleared to play after missing the entire season thus far with a fracture in his right hand suffered in practice the week of Nov. 5. Halil Kanacevic returned to action at Drexel after serving a two-game suspension. The junior came off the bench and played 27 minutes.

FOR STARTERS: The Hawks have used three different starting lineups due to injuries and other reasons. Here are the lineups and the number of games for each, along with the team's record: Aiken, Roberts, Kanacevic, Galloway, Wilson - 4 (3-1) Aiken, Roberts, Kanacevic, Galloway, Jones - 3 (1-2) Aiken, Roberts, Galloway, Wilson, Jones - 4 (4-0)

TOUTING TAY: Carl "Tay" Jones was named the Player of the Week in both the Atlantic 10 and Big 5 for Dec. 31 after his season-high 32 points in the win over Iona. It was six points short of his career-high 38 that he registered last season against Seton Hall. Jones scored 17 points in the first half and finished the game going 12-for-19 from the field and 4-of-7 from three-point range. The senior also tied his career-high with four steals and handed out four assists. The effort marked a rebound from a three-point performance against Fairfield, where he went 0-for-7 from the field. It was the first A-10 honor of the year for Jones and the fourth of his career.

FROM THE LINE: The Hawks shot 70.4 percent from the foul line against Iona, including an 81.8 percent effort in the first half. C.J. Aiken led the way going 8-for-9, and went 4-for-4 in the final 37 seconds to ice the win. SJU shot even better at Drexel, hitting 15-of-18 (83.3%) in the win.

RING IN THE NEW YEAR: Under Phil Martelli, Saint Joseph's owns a 12-5 record in the first game played in the New Year. The Hawks opened up 2012 at Duquesne and scored an overtime win.

START IT UP: Carl Jones has now started seven consecutive games after missing the first two and coming off the bench in two. As a starter, Jones is averaging 14.6 points per game. Interestingly, backcourt mate Langston Galloway is averaging a team-high 16.4 points per game in the last seven when Jones is starting.

LOOKING AHEAD: Saint Joseph's begins conference play by hosting Butler in the Bulldogs' inaugural Atlantic 10 game on January 9. The Hawks will then go on the road for consecutive A-10 games at Duquesne and at first-year member VCU.