Nov. 15, 2009

Box Score

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team fell to 0-2 to start the 2009-10 season after falling 88-57 at Providence Sunday afternoon. After a first half that had 13 lead changes, the Friars pulled away from the Hawks early in the second half to hand SJU just their fourth 0-2 start in program history.

A 15-0 run, stretching from the first half to the second stanza, saw the Friars erase Saint Joseph's 31-30 edge and open a 45-31 just 1:30 into the second stanza.

The Hawks would get no closer than 12 points from there as they went just 7-of-25 from the floor (28 percent) and turned the ball over 13 times, while allowing Providence to shoot 52.6 percent (20-of-38) in the second frame.

In the first half, both teams traded the lead often in a tightly-fought opening period, with the lead changing hands 13 times.

The Friars (2-0) opened an 18-13 edge with 8:06 to go in the opening stanza, but the Hawks rolled off eight straight points to take a 21-18 edge on a jump shot from senior guard Amy Gillespie at 6:09.

Providence regained the lead as they scored seven consecutive points in just over a minute, opening a 25-21 lead on a three pointer by Chelsea Marandola at 5:01.

Saint Joseph's fought back to take a 31-30 edge on a pair of free throws from freshman guard Shelby Smith with 1:41: to go in the opening period, but Providence rolled off seven straight points to end the half, taking a 37-31 lead into the locker room.

The Hawks shot just 30 percent from the floor (18-of-60) for the game, going 5-of-13 from behind the arc (38.5 percent) and 69.6 percent from the foul line (16-of-23). At the other end, Providence shot 51.5 percent (35-of-68), 9-of-21 from three-point range (42.9 percent) and went 9-of-15 from the foul line (60 percent). The Friars finished with a 43-36 advantage in rebounding and caused 20 SJU turnovers.

Individually, senior forward Brittany Ford led the Hawks with 14 points, seven rebounds and two blocks, while senior guard Mariame Djouara added 10 points.

Providence's Chelsea Marandola led five Friars in double-figure scoring, pouring in a game-high 24 points.

The Hawks return to action Saturday when they host UMBC at 2 p.m. The game will be the first home contest for Saint Joseph's at the Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena.