AMHERST, MASS. (12/29/01) -The Saint Joseph's University women's basketball team (11-2, 2-0 A-10) overcame a poor shooting night from the field to hold off Massachusetts (2-11, 0-2 A-10) at the Mullins Center, 54-48. The victory extended SJU's winning streak to eight straight. Senior Susan Moran led the Hawks with 19 points, including eight during a critical stretch late in the game. "Our kids really showed a lot of character," stated Hawk head coach Cindy Anderson-Griffin. "They could have folded. I thought [Colleen] McGahan picked us up in the first half and [Amra] Mehmedic in the second and then down the stretch it was Sue [Moran]." The Crimson and Gray appeared to have the game comfortably in hand when Mehmedic drained a three-pointer to put the team up by 17-points with 12:22 left to play. The Minutewomen, however, embarked on a 16-2 run over the next seven minutes to slice SJU's advantage down to just three-points, 44-41. With the outcome now possibly in doubt, the Hawks looked to Moran to ice the contest. Moran scored the next eight points for the Hawks, as they reestablished some breathing room. Fellow seniors Jane Meade and Amy Snell added free throws late to complete the scoring. Both teams shot poorly in the first half with the Hawks connecting on less than 35.0% of their shots from the floor. SJU, however, was aided by some sharp shooting from the perimeter. The Hawks knocked down 5-8 three-pointers in the period. McGahan led the attack by drainig 3-3 from beyond the arc and 4-4 from the floor, scoring all 11 of her points in the first half. SJU led by seven-points at intermission, 25-18. Then in the second half, Mehmedic's hot hand pushed the Hawks advantage to 17. The Bosnian-native drained three threes and a long two-pointer early in the half to account for all 11 of her points. Next the Crimson and Gray will return home on Friday for a noontime matinee against Duquesne. A capacity crowd will be in attendance that afternoon, as SJU hosts its third annual "Fieldtrip to the Fieldhouse."