Dec. 29, 2008

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - For the second straight day, the Saint Joseph's basketball team was a terrible host for the 18th Annual Hawk Classic, this time downing Holy Cross, 74-53, Monday at the Gallagher Center. Saint Joseph's, which topped Maine 74-46 on Sunday, improved to 7-6 on the season as five Hawks scored in double figures.

The Hawks jumped out to a quick 5-0 advantage behind a three pointer by senior guard Jenna Loschiavo and a pair of free throws by junior forward Brittany Ford, but Holy Cross fought back to tie the game a 5 apiece.

After exchanging baskets, Saint Joseph's began to pull away from the Crusaders. Up 13-11, Ford scored five straight points to put the Hawks up 18-11 on a free throw with 10:08 left in the half.

Holy Cross (2-10) cut the deficit to four, 27-23, with 4:00 left, but Saint Joseph's responded with a 12-4 run to end the first stanza and take a 39-27 lead into halftime. Ford and sophomore forward Dominique Bryant combined to tally 10 of the Hawks' 12 points, while the defense caused three turnovers and held Holy Cross to 1-of-5 from the field over the final few minutes.

In the second half, Saint Joseph's continued to pour it on. Leading 48-35, the Hawks put together a 16-4 run from 10:48 to 6:41 as junior guard Mariame Djouara capped the run with a steal and layup to put her team up 64-39.

Saint Joseph's would keep a 20-point advantage over the remainder as the Hawks improved to 5-1 at home on the year.

For the game, Saint Joseph's shot 47.5 percent from the field (28-of-59), 27.8 percent from three-point range and 86.7 percent from the foul line (13-of-15). At the other end, the Crusaders finished just 17-of-55 from the floor (30.9 percent), including 8-of-32 shooting in the second half. Holy Cross went 3-of-18 from behind the arc (16.7 percent) and 16-of-21 from the foul line (76.2 percent), but out rebounded the Hawks 40-31.

Individually, Ford paced SJU with 14 points, while Bryant and junior forward Ashley Logue each added 13 points. Loschiavo led all scorers with three three-point field goals and finished with 11 points, while Djouara was the fifth Hawk in double figures, scoring 10 points. Junior guard Amy Gillespie and senior guard Mary Kate McDade handed out seven assists and five assists, respectively, with McDade adding a game-high four steals. Freshmen Michelle Baker and Kelly Cavallo rounded out the scoring with seven points and two points, respectively.

At the other end, Briana McFadden led Holy Cross with 15 points, while Bethany O'Dell adding 11 points.

The Hawks return to action January 2 at Gonzaga. Game time is set for 9 p.m. EST.

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