Jan. 14, 2009

Box Score

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Fighting back from a 15-point second-half deficit, Saint Joseph's women's basketball team's late rally came up short as the Hawks fell, 66-60, to George Washington Wednesday evening at the Smith Center.

Down 44-29 to start the second half, Saint Joseph's (8-9, 0-2 Atlantic 10) slowly chipped away at the Colonials. With both teams going cold for long stretches - SJU shot just 28.1 percent in the second half, while GW shot 34.4 percent - it was a 10-2 run by the Hawks over a 2:30 span that brought them within six, 56-50, on a free throw by freshman guard Michelle Baker with 4:39 left in the game.

The Colonials (8-8, 1-1 A-10) expanded their lead to 11, 63-52, but again the Hawks fought back, cutting GW's lead to five twice, including a 65-60 ball game with :30 seconds remaining.

Unfortunately for SJU, it couldn't take advantage of missed Colonial free throws in the final seconds, as the Hawks went 0-of-2 from the field

The Hawks started out slowly, going 0-of-6 from the field, but their defense kept them in the ball game, causing four turnovers over the opening 4:59. Logue sparked SJU off the bench, knocking down consecutive jumpshots to cut a 7-2 deficit to 7-6.

A 7-0 run by Saint Joseph's saw the Hawks erase a 10-6 hole and take a three-point lead on a jumper by junior forward Ashley Logue at 12:59.

From there, both squads would exchange baskets for just under six minutes, with the score tied three times and lead exchanging hands four times.

Leading 27-25 with 6:06 left in the half, Saint Joseph's offense went cold and the Colonials took advantage, putting together a 17-2 run to end the half, with Tiana Myers draining a three pointer with 1.5 seconds left to give George Washington a 42-29 edge at the half. The Hawks were held to just 1-of-7 from the field during the run and turned the ball over three times, including twice in the final :51 seconds.

Individually, Baker's season-high 12 points led SJU, while Logue added 11 points and nine rebounds. Junior guard Mariame Djouara was the only other Hawk in double figures, scoring 11 points.

The Colonials were led by Ivy Abiona's 11 points and nine rebounds.

Saint Joseph's returns to action this Saturday versus Richmond at the Gallagher Center. Game time is set for 6 p.m.