PHILADELPHIA — After a back-and-forth second half, the University of Toledo men’s basketball team fell 77-76 to St. Joseph’s in its season-opener on Saturday at Hagan Arena.
A basket by senior Steve Taylor put Toledo ahead 71-70 with two minutes left, but Shavar Newkirk scored four of his game-high 28 points over the final two minutes and the Hawks got another 3-pointer.
A 3-pointer at the buzzer by UT sophomore Jaelan Sanford accounted for the final score.
“You never quite know what you are getting in that first game,” UT coach Tod Kowalczyk said. “What I wanted to see was our guys ready to play.