Saint Joesph's defeats Princeton in a battle at the Deborah Heart and Lung Center Jersey Jam

The 2025 Deborah Heart and Lung Center Jersey Jam tipped off for the third straight year at the Cure Insurance Arena in Trenton, New Jersey. This year, the Saint Joseph’s Hawks defeated the Princeton Tigers 60–58.

Princeton got off to a hot start Sunday afternoon. Jack Stanton scored a quick eight points while also adding one rebound and two assists. Defensively, Stanton was a difference-maker as well, forcing three steals. However, Hawks head coach Steve Donahue made a key adjustment by assigning Deuce Jones II to Stanton, forcing Princeton to look elsewhere for scoring. This move helped spark a Saint Joseph’s run that gave the Hawks a 30–25 halftime lead, closing the half on a 25–11 run.

The Hawks dominated the first half in two specific areas: rebounding and paint scoring. They out-rebounded Princeton 22–11 and outscored the Tigers 22–6 in the paint. Saint Joseph’s played nine players in the first half, with every player recording at least one rebound and five players grabbing at least three.

From the start of the second half, it was clear this game would be a defensive battle. Both teams showcased strong perimeter defense, resulting in a combined 6-for-25 performance from three-point range.

Saint Joseph’s opened the second half with a surge, immediately pulling even. The teams traded leads throughout the half. The Hawks continued to control the paint on both ends, while Princeton relied heavily on the three-point shot.

Princeton made some adjustments in the second half, managing to keep pace with Saint Joseph’s on the boards. However, they continued to be significantly outscored in the paint.

Princeton was led by Jackson Hicke, who finished as the team’s leading scorer and rebounder. The Tigers shot close to 40 percent from deep for much of the game, but had no answer inside, consistently losing the battle in the paint.

Deuce Jones II was the difference-maker for the Hawks. Despite being the smallest player on the court at times, he led Saint Joseph’s in both scoring and rebounding. His defensive performance, however, was where he truly stood out. After Stanton’s hot start, Jones was assigned to guard him and was able to cool him off for the remainder of the game. Jones made an impact on both ends of the floor throughout.

The game came down to the wire. In a fitting end to a back-and-forth matchup, Saint Joseph’s had a chance to seal the win but missed a shot, and Princeton secured the rebound with seven seconds left. After both teams used a timeout, Princeton had an opportunity to tie or win the game. However, the Tigers struggled to get a clean look, and Jackson Hicke’s three-pointer at the buzzer was no good.

Saint Joseph’s returns next weekend for the third-place game of the Big 5 Classic at Xfinity Mobile Arena, where they will face the loser of Monday’s matchup between Temple and Villanova. Princeton returns to action Wednesday with a road game against Monmouth.

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-Adam Mack