PHILADELPHIA (11/18/01)- Senior Susan Moran scored 34 points and hauled down a career-high 15 rebounds to lead the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team to a 64-58 win over #23 Rutgers at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse. The victory improved the Hawks to 2-0 under Cindy Anderson-Griffin, while Rutgers opened the season 0-1. Revenge was certainly on the mind of the Hawks during the game. The Scarlet Knights embarassed the Hawks in Piscataway, NJ, last December, 80-38. Today, however, Moran and fellow senior Jane Meade refused to allow SJU to wilt. Down the stretch the tandem helped the Crimson and Gray ward off a late Rutgers rally. "I think this team responded to the challenge," said Anderson-Griffin. "After losing to Rutgers two years in a row, our team wanted to get a little revenge." Moran agreed, "Last year we were really embarrassed. It was a loss that I remembered for the whole year....I was excited to get on the court, because I have so much confidence in out tea's ability." SJU led for most of the second stanza, but after a 13-3 spurt put RU ahead by a point, 52-51, Meade, who matched a career-best with seven assists, drilled a three-pointer to give the Hawks a two-point lead with 6:13 to play. It was a lead the Hawks would not relinquish. Moran, meanwhile connected on several key buckets in the post, while the Hawk defense clogged up the lane and forced RU to try to equalize from the perimeter, "There is no sense of panic," said Anderson-Griffin, about her squads poise dow the stretch. "I think that is the maturity of having four seniors out there at one time." Moran, who opened the season with a career-high 36 points against USC on Friday, finished with 34 points and 15 caroms. She became the first Hawk since Dale Hodges in 1990 to score 30 or more points in consecutive games. Additionally, the Tullamore, Ireland native moved into third place on the Hawks career scoring list. Moving past former SJU standouts Kim Foley (1,651) and Katie Curry (1,663), Moran now has 1,666 career points. She is only five points shy of tying Teresa Carmichael for number two all-time. "Susan is our go-to person, there is no doubt about it," said Anderson-Griffin of her star. "She knows it, everybody knows it. She's our go-to and she has really responded." The win was the first by the Hawks over a ranked team, since SJU defeated #23 Texas in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 17, 2000. SJU will take a break this week for the Thanksgiving holiday, but the squad returns to the court on Saturday and Sunday at the Tallahassee Democrat Seminole Classic in Tallahassee, Florida. The Hawks will meet Akron in the tournament's semifinals and then square-off against either the host Florida State or East Tennessee State in round two. © Copyright 11/18/01 Saint Joseph's University & Saint Joseph's University Athletic Department