PHILADELPHIA, PA (12/19/01) - Senior Susan Moran notched a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds and sophomores Amra Mehmedic and Stephanie Graff chipped in 15 points apiece, as the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team pulled away in the second half to defeat Drexel, 69-56, at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse. Both teams now boast 6-2 overall records. The Hawks came out of the gate firing and established a 10-0 lead less than four minutes into the contest. Drexel, however, was able to regroup adn keep SJU within striking distance. The Dragons then slowly whittled the SJU advantage down to just a bucket, 27-25, with 2:30 left in the first half. Senior Michelle Maslowski, who had a game-high 22 points and 9 rebounds, was the catalyst for Drexel's run. Key hoops by Mehmedic and Moran in the waning minutes helped the Crimson and Gray gain some breathing room at intermission. The Hawks led at the break by six points, 33-27. "We didn't make shots and we didn't get stops down at the defensive end," stated SJU head coach Cindy Anderson-Griffin on how the Dragons were able to get back in the ball game. In the second half, though, the Hawks asserted themselves on the boards and that aggressiveness allowed them to break the contest open. Moran keyed an early spurt by netting eight-straight points to push the Hawk lead out to 14 points midway through the second stanza. Mehmedic and Graff, who combined for 18 second half points, then delivered the knockout blow. The tandem netted 11 straight points for SJU, including a critical three-pointer by Mehmedic that extended the Hawk lead to 17 points late in the game. "I think that Amra [Mehmedic] made some big shots in the second half to open things up and I also thought that we did an excellent job rebounding the ball and that led to some of our offensive execution," assessed Anderson-Griffin. After being outrebounded 16-14 in the first half, SJU finished the game with a 33-26 advantage on the boards. The Hawks also managed to outshoot the visitors 51.7% to 47.1% In addition to the victory, SJU also received a strong effort from the fans. The Hawks collected new unwrapped toys before the game which will be donated to a local shelter before Christmas. Individuals who donated a toy received free admission to the game. Following an 11-day layoff, SJU will play its second game in three days on Friday, when the Hawks make the trek to New England to take-on Boston University at 7:00 p.m.