Jan. 31, 2009

Box Score

Kingston, R.I. - Up by as many as 18 points in the second half, the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team held on for a 69-61 victory over Rhode Island Saturday afternoon at the Ryan Center. Junior forward Brittany Ford tallied 21 points and 10 rebounds to lead the Hawks, while sophomore forward Dominique Bryant added 16 points and nine boards in the victory.

Leading 42-24 with 15:53 left in the game on back-to-back three pointers by Bryant, the Hawks' offense went cold, while Rhode Island's began to click. The Rams strung together a 29-10 run over the next 12 minutes, cutting the game to one possession, 55-52, with 3:31 to go.

Saint Joseph's (10-11, 2-4 Atlantic 10) answered back though but the Rams kept it a three-point game, 57-54, with 2:30 to go. The Hawks gutted it out over the remained of the game, going 8-of-8 from the line and getting a pair of free layups in their final six possessions to hold on for a 69-62 win.

In the first half, the Hawks found themselves down 8-3 early, but quickly rallied. But behind a 21-5 run from 15:52 to 6:28, Saint Joseph's opened up an 11-point advantage, 24-13. Ford, Bryant and junior guard Amy Gillespie combined for all 21 Hawk points, while the SJU defense held the Rams to 2-of-12 from the floor and caused five turnovers during that stretch.

Following a Rhode Island (9-12, 2-4 A-10) basket, the Hawks tallied six straight points, opening their biggest lead of the have, 30-15, on a Ford layup with :38 seconds remaining.

Individually, Ford and Bryant led the way with 37 points, while senior Mary Kate McDade added 10 assists to go with six points.

At the other end, Crystal Bellinger and Megan Shoniker both tallied 17 points apiece for Rhode Island.

Saint Joseph's returns to action this Wednesday at Duquesne. Game time is set for 7 p.m. a the Palumbo Center.