Dec. 10, 2006

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - A 21-3 run midway through the second half helped the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team pull away from Maine, as the Hawks defeated the Black Bears, 69-49, Sunday afternoon at Alumni Memorial Fieldhouse.

Leading 28-26 with 12:44 remaining in the game, Saint Joseph's opened up the game over the next four minutes. Behind a 21-3 run, the Hawks took a commanding 49-29 advantage as sophomore guard Jenna Loschiavo capped the run with a on a three-point play by at 8:19.

The Hawks would up its lead to as many as 25-point advantage in the waning moments, as they finished 16-of-27 from the floor in the second half for 59.3 percent.

In the first half, both team started extremely slow as Saint Joseph's held just a 1-0 edge four minutes into the contest. The Hawks would tack on 12 more points to the Black Bears' two, taking a 13-2 lead on a Loschiavo three pointer at the 11:06 mark.

Trailing 15-4, the Black Bears slowly chipped away at the Hawks lead. Behind a 14-5 run, Maine cut Saint Joseph's lead to 20-18 at the first half and held the Hawks to just 19.2 percent from the field (5-of-26).

For the game, Saint Joseph's finished 21-of-53 from the field (39.6 percent), 9-of-22 from three-point range (40.9 percent) and 18-of-22 from the foul line (81.8 percent). At the other end, Maine went 16-of-49 from the floor (32.7 percent), 2-of-3 from behind the arc and 15-of-23 from the foul line (65.2 percent). The Hawks also won the battle of the boards 40-29.

Individually, Saint Joseph's senior guard Ayahna Cornish led all players with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Loschiavo finished with a career-best 15 points. Sophomore guard Jen Oyler was the only other Hawk to score in double figure, adding 12 points.

Senior forward Katie Whittier's 10 points and five rebounds led Maine, who was playing without its leading scorer Bracey Barker.

With the win, the Hawks improve to 5-4 on the season, while Maine falls to 5-3.

Saint Joseph's returns to action Wednesday, December 20, at North Carolina State.

***Photos from today's game available at www.sidephotos.com