Sweet Sixteen Recap – East Rutherford Region
(1) St. Joseph’s 84, (4) Wake Forest 80
In a thriller at the Continental Arena, National Player of the Year senior guard Jameer Nelson and his Hawks escaped a nail-biter defeating ACC powerhouse Wake Forest, 84-80. The Hawks advanced to meet Oklahoma State for a trip to San Antonio. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams.
Nelson (Chester, PA) and junior guard Delonte West (Greenbelt, MD) each scored 24 points in a backcourt tandem, which the Demon Deacons had no answer for. Coming off a dominating performance versus Manhattan, ACC Rookie of the Year guard Chris Paul (Lewisville, NC) was held to just 12 points while dishing out eight assists for the Demon Deacons. Wake Forest sophomore guard Justin Gray (Charlotte, NC) hit four-of-eight from downtown finishing with 23 points and sophomore center Eric Williams (Wake Forest, NC) scored 19.
19,557 witnessed a spectacle, which received some controversial coverage by media. Fans chanted for CBS analyst Billy Packer following the victory, a hometown crowd with a sea of maroon-clad Hawk fans. St. Jo’s head coach Phil Martelli tried to play down the coverage to get his players focusing strictly on survive and advance. The Hawks did just that. They have their date with destiny Saturday night.
