Fans mob court as St. Joe's upsets Tenn.

Associate Press The latest for the 21st-ranked Volunteers (6-3) came last night in a 55-53 defeat to St. Joseph's, and once again it came down to the game's final minutes. The Vols rallied from an 11-point deficit to tie, but lost after St. Joe's Andre Howard hit a layup with four seconds left on the clock. ''I can't remember the last time we played this way,'' Green said. Neither could St. Joe's guard Tim Brown, but for a different reason. The Hawks came into the game 1-3, including a seven-point loss to Old Dominion in their last game. ''That was a big win, the biggest since I've been here,'' said Brown, who scored a career-high 15 points in a last-minute start at point guard for Larry Jennings, suffering from a left foot strain. Howard hit just 3-of-13 shots, but his last one was the biggest. Coming off a timeout, the junior forward took an inbounds pass, dribbled into the lane and tossed up a left-handed shot that sank into the net. After a desperation three-pointer by Tennessee failed, he was mobbed on the floor by fans and teammates. ''For a bunch of young kids who were dealt a blow before the game when we lost our point guard, that's a big win, and that's an understatement,'' St. Joe's coach Phil Martelli said. The shot thwarted a late rally by the Vols, who fell behind by as much as 11 points and were weighed down by 24 percent shooting in the first half. Down 51-47 with less than two minutes left, Tony Harris hit a layup off a steal and Brandon Wharton sank two free throws to tie the game. After a Crenshaw layup, Victor hit a basket to set up Howard's heroics. ''We put ourselves into position to win. We just didn't get it done,'' Green said. ''We were a whole different team in the second half.'' St. Joe's ran out to a 10-point halftime lead behind the play of Brown and center Damien Reid, who had 14 points and 14 rebounds. The Hawks outrebounded a bigger and more athletic Tennessee team 47-39, including 21 on the offensive end.