Saint Joseph's Holds on To Advance in NIT

3/19/2026 1:39:00 AM

FORT COLLINS, Colo. – The Saint Joseph's men's basketball team held off a late charge as the Hawks downed the Colorado State Rams, 69-64 in the First Round of the NIT on Wednesday night.

BY THE NUMBERS
  • Jaiden Glover-Toscano, Austin Williford and Derek Simpson each scored 13 in the game. Simpson added nine rebounds and three steals.
  • Glover-Toscano connected on three shots from beyond the arc. He now has 86 on the season and moves into 10th place on the SJU single-season list.
  • Anthony Finkley scored 10, hitting a pair of treys and going 4-for-4 from the line.
  • Jaden Smith tied a season-high with six rebounds. He also added four points and a block.
  • The Hawks held Colorado State to 7-for-30 (23.3 percent) from three-point range. The Rams came into the game shooting 39.1 percent from distance, ranking ninth in the country.
  • It is Saint Joseph's first win in the NIT since a 71-62 victory against Rutgers on March 16, 2006.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • St. Joe's got off to a good start as after the Rams scored the first basket of the game on a dunk, the Hawks went on a 12-2 run thanks to six points each from Simpson and Finkley.
  • The first half was a back-and-forth affair with each team making runs. A 7-0 SJU run midway through the frame extended the lead to 24-13. CSU came back with seven of its own.
  • Each time Colorado State made a run, however, Saint Joseph's was able to respond, eventually holding a 33-28 lead at halftime.
  • St. Joe's shot well to open the second stanza, but the Rams stayed in the game at the line, hitting five free throws, offsetting a 3-for-11 start to the half from the floor as midway through the frame, SJU held a 49-42 lead.
  • CSU came back once more, eventually tying the game at 59-59. As the shot clock wound down on the ensuing possession, Williford rose up and drained a three from the left wing with 53 second remaining. Saint Joseph's followed with four consecutive free throws.
  • The game was not over as the Rams hit a three and then forced a turnover and hit a pair at the line, slicing the lead to 66-64 with 11.1 to play. The Hawks were able to recover and hit three free throws to seal the win.
 
UP NEXT
Saint Joseph's advance to the Second Round of the NIT to face Cal on Sunday, March 22. Tipoff from Haas Pavilion in Berkeley, Calif. is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. EDT with the game to air on ESPNU.