PHILADELPHIA (1/23/04)- Senior Stephanie Graff led the way for Saint Joseph's, coming up just short of a double-double with 24 points and nine rebounds, and classmate Irina Krasnoshiok scored her 1,000th career point as the Hawks dropped La Salle, 68-52, in Atlantic 10 and Big 5 play on Friday night at the Fieldhouse. SJU (11-4 overall) won its sixth straight game and remained perfect in the A-10 at 6-0, tying the best start in league play since 1999-00. Graff was peerless in the paint, shooting 9-for-14 from the floor and a perfect 6-for-6 from the charity stripe on her way to a season-high 24 points. It was one short of a career high for the bruising southpaw and brought the senior within 28 points of 1,000 points. With four more blocks tonight, Graff needs just seven swats to break her own school record for rejections in a season. Krasnoshiok, meanwhile, scored 13 points, including a driving layup midway through the second half for the 1,000th point of her career. She joined a select club that included just 15 players before her to reach the prestigious plateau. It also marked the seventh time in the past eight games that the Moldova native has reached double-digits. Senior Elizabeth "Hootie" Mohan nearly matched a career-high with 13 points, shooting 4-for-5 from the floor and 3-for-4 from behind the arc, and dished five assists. Despite not scoring in the game's first five minutes, Saint Joseph's went on a 17-1 run over the next five to open up an 11-point lead midway through the first period. Graff netted six points during the run and held as many as a 14-point lead in the half, despite shooting 36% from the floor. After scoring the first bucket of the second half, La Salle (8-8, 1-5) drew within 10 - the closest it would get for the rest of the game. The Hawks owned as many as a 21-point lead before the Explorers made three baskets down the stretch to produce the 68-52 final. La Salle's Jill Marano scored 21 points to lead the Explorers. SJU improved to 1-1 in the Big 5, while La Salle dropped to 1-2. Villanova has already wrapped up the City Series title with a perfect 4-0 record, but SJU can still claim second place with wins over Temple and Penn later this season. The Hawks' win, coupled with a 72-70 Temple overtime victory over Richmond, sets up Sunday's battle between the only two teams left in the Atlantic 10 with unblemished conference records. Although the tilt matches two Big 5 teams, the game will not count towards the City Series title. The two rivals will also meet on February 19 at the Liacouras Center in Big 5 action. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse. Photo courtesy of Greg Carroccio, Sideline Photos, LLC.