EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Jameer Nelson, Delonte West and Saint Joseph’s put on quite an eye-popping performance for Billy Packer.

With their No. 1 nemesis watching from the front row and their fans chanting his name in the final minute, the Hawks showed they were a worthy No. 1 seed. Nelson and West each scored 24 points Thursday night, keying an 84-80 victory over Wake Forest in the semifinals of the East Rutherford Regional.

The celebration almost came too early, though. Trailing 76-68, Wake Forest whittled its deficit down to 82-80 with 11.9 seconds left.

But then Nelson escaped a double-team trap in the corner and passed to West, who was fouled. West made both free throws, and the Hawk mascot began flapping in earnest.

The only thing left to do for coach Phil Martelli was walk across the court and shake hands with Packer. The CBS analyst and Wake Forest alum, having said the Hawks did not deserve a top seed, smiled broadly.

Behind them, Hawks rooters razzed Packer. He turned to them and said, “You’re exactly where you should be.”

Martelli claimed all along that the Hawks (30-1) should be regarded as highly as schools such as Connecticut and Oklahoma State.

“We certainly don’t look like these teams, but we sure do play like them.”

The Hawks) advanced to play second-seeded Oklahoma State, which banged its way past Pittsburgh 63-51, on Saturday for a trip to the Final Four. Saint Joseph’s and the Cowboys have never met in basketball.

AP-ES-03-26-04 0032EST