Dec. 21, 2007

Box Score

SOUTH ORANGE, NJ - A 10-minute scoreless drought in the second half did in the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team as the Hawks fell to Seton Hall, 59-42, Friday afternoon at the Walsh Gymnasium. Saint Joseph's (5-6), which led 38-36 at the time, saw the Pirates mount a 17-0 run to take command of the game midway through the second half.

A pair of quick layups by senior guard Timisha Gomez and sophomore guard Amy Gillespie gave the Hawks a 30-25 edge just 35 seconds into the second half.

Trailing 38-36, the Pirates again turned it up at both ends of the court, holding Saint Joseph's scoreless over 10 minutes, as Seton Hall scored 17 straight, as Noteisha Womack capped the run with a free throws at 4:56.

The Hawks would get no closer than 55-42 over the final minutes.

In the first half, both teams traded the lead over the opening 12 minutes, as the Hawks opened a 14-11 advantage only to have the Pirates (7-2) answer back with three points to tie the game at 14 all with 7:14 left in the stanza.

Tied for the third time in the half, Saint Joseph's used a 10-0 run over a three minute span to take a commanding 24-14 edge on a layup by freshman center Sarah Acker at the 4:23 mark. Hawks' Gomez tallied five of her seven first-half points during the run.

Leading by double figures, Saint Joseph's saw its lead quickly evaporate over the next three minutes as Seton Hall's defense held SJU scoreless, while the Pirates rattled off 10 points of their own, tying the game at 24 all on a jumpshot by Ela Mukosiej with 49 seconds left in the half.

Saint Joseph's would get a pair of free throws from sophomore forward Brittany Ford, while Seton Hall added one free throw as the Hawks took a 26-25 advantage in the second half.

For the game, the Hawks shot just 14-of-47 (29.8 percent), while going 9-of-10 from the line. At the other end, Seton Hall finished 22-of-56 (39.3 percent) and outrebounded SJU 41-31, including 16 offensive rebounds.

Individually, Gomez paced Saint Joseph's with 13 points, while Gillespie added 10. Mukosiej led the Pirates with 22 points, while Womack posted a double-double of 13 points and 12 poins.

Saint Joseph's returns to action after the Christmas holiday when it hosts the Hilton Philadelphia Hawk Classic December 28-29. The Hawks open play on Friday, December 28th versus NJIT at 2 p.m., with Auburn and Davidson round out the field with a 4p.m. start.