Youth, at times, has a way of speeding the aging process.
Just ask St. Joseph's coach Phil Martelli, whose freshmen-dominated lineup finally hit the win column Saturday at Hagan Arena in the Hawks' third game of the season.
"It was a different experience to get a win, and now we have to get better," Martelli said after the Hawks beat Norfolk State, 70-65, in an opening-round game of the Philly Hoop Classic.
It was the first meeting between the two schools.
It hasn't taken this long for St. Joseph's to celebrate since the 1998-99 season, which also saw an 0-2 start.
Martelli spoke of dealing with inexperience on the court. Five freshmen, of whom three started, are on the 12-man roster.
"You have to catch your breath every once in a while," Martelli said. "But what we're seeing is a continuation of what we're seeing in practice.
"You have to continue to see growth. In a situation like this, where we're scrapping for a win here, you can't just let it play out. You can't say, 'Oh, well, that was a freshman play,' or something like that."
The Hawks (1-2) will continue tournament play at Fairfield on Tuesday and then conclude in the final Friday against Rutgers at the Palestra.
Freshman 6-foot-6 forward Daryus Quarles had a team-high 17 points for the Hawks, while sophomore guard Carl Jones scored 16. Jones also was 11 for 12 from the line, and his eight straight free throws over the final 1 minute, 3 seconds helped keep St. Joseph's slightly ahead. The Hawks had held a seven-point lead a few minutes earlier.
"On the defensive end, the performance in the last four minutes - not acceptable," Martelli said. "We have been progressing defensively. But that was a setback - the last four minutes, defensively, was not what would be necessary, particularly if you are on the road."
Kyle O'Quinn had 23 points and 13 rebounds for Norfolk State (1-2). Senior Rob Hampton, who played two seasons at Drexel through 2008, scored 19 points. Freshman Pendarvis Williams, a graduate of the Hun School in Princeton, scored 10 points.
