PHILADELPHIA (1/31/03) - Junior Irina Krasnoshiok scored 21 of her game-high 29 points in the first half and the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team withstood a strong finishing kick by Xavier to hang on for a 67-64 win in a key Atlantic 10 matchup at the Fieldhouse. The Hawks, who improved to 12-7 overall, 7-1 in the A-10, led by as many as 15 on several occasions, before the Musketeers charged back. XU dropped to 13-6, 5-3 in the A-10. SJU bolted out to a 13-0 lead to open the game and kept the game in double digits throughout most of the contest. XU, however, limited St. Joe's to just a pair of field goals over the game's final 9:30 and outscored the Crimson and Gray 18-6 down the stretch. Amra Mehmedic could have given SJU a buffer, but her jumper with :22 seconds left missed the mark. Xavier then brought the ball down the court with a chance to tie, but freshman Kristy Wallner's contested three-point try from the top of the arc was off line as time expired. The Musketeers had no answer for Krasnoshiok in the early going. The Moldova native sizzled, hitting 9 of 11 shots in the opening half and 13-16 for the game. She was only able to muster two points over the game's final 15 minutes. She finished with 29 points and five rebounds. SJU also received 10 points and 8 boards from junior Stephanie Graff, but she was saddled with foul trouble and fouled out with 4:15 left in regulation. In her absence, freshman Faith Gross continued to mature, scoring a career-high 10 points and adding three rebounds. Xavier's freshman standout Tara Boothe paced four Musketeer's in double-digits with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Fellow starters seniors Reeta Piipari and Amy Waugh, and sophomore Alexis Henderson each tallied 13 points. The victory was a key one for SJU as it not only helped to pad its lead in the Atlantic 10 East, but also gave it a victory over a Xavier squad that was rated 17th in the most recent RPI ratings. Gross' 10 points helped the Hawk bench outscore their Xavier counterparts 14-1. SJU also shot a season-high 91.7% from the charity stripe, hitting 11-12 at the line. The Hawks have a quick turnaround, as the team hits the road for Richmond tomorrow. St. Joe's willl take on the Spiders on Sunday at 2:00 PM.