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Bembry carries St. Joe's past UMass

Despite the expected rebuilding season for St. Joseph's basketball team, DeAndre' Bembry has continued to compete at the highest of levels. If the 6-foot-6 sophomore isn't the best player in Philadelphia, he can certainly stand near the front of the line.

DeAndre' Bembry shoots a 3-pointer. (Charles Fox/Staff Photographer)
DeAndre' Bembry shoots a 3-pointer. (Charles Fox/Staff Photographer)Read more

Despite the expected rebuilding season for St. Joseph's basketball team, DeAndre' Bembry has continued to compete at the highest of levels. If the 6-foot-6 sophomore isn't the best player in Philadelphia, he can certainly stand near the front of the line.

Bembry had 25 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, 3 blocks, and a career-high 5 steals Wednesday as St. Joseph's defeated Massachusetts, 62-56, in an Atlantic Ten game at Hagan Arena.

The Hawks, who had lost five of their previous six games, are now 8-9 overall and 2-4 in the A-10. UMass fell to 10-9, 3-3.

"I was just doing what I normally do in trying to get a win for my team," Bembry said.

Bembry entered the game as one of six players in the nation to lead his team in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals, and blocks.

"He is going to get overlooked because we are an average team, and it's a shame because he is really having a spectacular year," St. Joseph's coach Phil Martelli said.

Bembry is now averaging 17.1 points and 6.7 rebounds and often guards the opponent's top offensive player.

"If you are winning, you get [publicity]," he said. "Hopefully we keep winning, and then maybe" it will come.

After scoring eight points in the first half, Bembry single-handedly kept the Hawks in the game by scoring St. Joseph's first 13 points of the second half.

"I had a couple open looks with pull-ups, and I was being aggressive and the shots were falling," said Bembry, who made 9 of 16 shots from the field.

St. Joseph's, which also received 18 points from Isaiah Miles, got some breathing room when it went on a 9-0 run to extend its lead to 59-49. The last two points in the run came on a spectacular dunk from freshman James Demery with 1 minute, 12 seconds left. UMass got no closer than five points after that.

On this night, it was too much Bembry.

"He was making threes, making mid-range shots," UMass coach Derek Kellogg said. "I thought he gave them confidence as a player, which ultimately led to them coming away with the win."