Dec. 6, 2009

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA - Backed by a stellar defensive second half, the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team topped George Mason, 65-46, Sunday afternoon at Michael J. Hagan '85 Arena. The Hawks' defense held the Patriots to just four points in the opening nine minutes of the second frame as SJU opened up a 20-point advantage.

Leading 28-24 at halftime, Saint Joseph's came out with a strong performance at both ends of the court to pull away from George Mason. Backed by a 20-4 run, the Hawks opened their lead to 48-28 on a pair of free throws by sophomore guard Michelle Baker at 10:34.

The Hawks (3-5) scored 10 points on layups and eight points from the foul line during that stretch, while the Patriots went just 2-of-11 from the floor. Saint Joseph's freshman guard Ashley Prim spearheaded the charge, scoring eight of her season-best 14 points over that period.

Saint Joseph's would up its lead to as many as 23 and allowed George Mason to come no closer than 15 points during the remaining time. The Patriots finished just 7-of-28 from the field in the second half.

In the opening stanza, the Patriots took control early, opening a 19-12 edge on a free throw by Janaa Pickard at 7:25.

The Hawks responded and took advantage of four Patriots sitting out with foul trouble. Saint Joseph's ripped off a 14-3 run over the next 5:10 as a pair of free throws by senior forward Brittany Ford gave the Hawks a 26-22 lead with 2:15 to go in the first half.

Saint Joseph's outscored George Mason 4-2 to end the half and take a 28-24 lead into the lockerroom.

For the game, the Hawks went 21-of-44 from the field (47.7 percent), 22-of-27 from the foul line (81.5 percent) and just 1-of-8 from three-point range (12.5 percent). At the other end, the Patriots finished 17-of-62 from the floor (27.4 percent), 4-of-16 from behind the arc and 8-of-12 from the foul line.

Despite 12 first-half turnovers, the Hawks took care of the ball in the second half, turning the ball over just twice. Ford paced the SJU offense with a game-high 17 points and added three blocks and six rebounds, while Prim added four assists and three steals. Junior forward Dominique Bryant finished in double figures for the third-straight game, adding 13 points and five rebounds.

Baker added eight points off the bench, while senior guard Amy Gillespie finished with four points. Sophomore forward Kelly Cavallo and sophomore guard Katie Kuester each scored three points, while senior guard Mariame Djouara and freshman guard Shelby Smith added two points and one point, respectively.

Amber Easter paced George Mason with 13 points, while Ashleigh Braxton added 10 points as the Patriots fall to 5-3 on the year.

Saint Joseph's travels to Villanova on Wednesday to open the Big 5 portion of its schedule. Game time is set for 6 p.m.

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