Nov. 15, 2010

FAIRFIELD, Conn. - The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team opens the road portion of its schedule Tuesday evening at Sacred Heart. The Hawks and Pioneers will tip off at 7 p.m. with live audio provided by the Saint Joseph's Sports Network.

Saint Joseph's Game Notes

Listen Live

Live Stats

GAME STORIES . . .
• The Hawks are now 27-11 all-time in season openers, topping Providence 64-49 on Friday at Hagan Arena. The victory snapped SJU's three-game losing streak in season-opening contests.
• Tuesday's meeting with Sacred Heart is the first contest between the two squads. Saint Joseph's is 10-2 all-time against NEC schools with the Pioneers having posted a 1-8 mark against Atlantic 10 schools.
• The 2010-11 season marks the 38th year of Division I women's basketball at Saint Joseph's. The Hawks enter Tuesday's game nine wins shy of 700, having posted a 691-360 all-time record.
• Saint Joseph's was picked to finish seventh in the 14-team Atlantic 10 according to a preseason poll conducted conference coaches and media. The Hawks were picked to finish ninth last year and finished tied for fourth.
• Junior forward Kelly Cavallo earned Atlantic 10 Women's Basketball Weekly Honor Roll accolades after scoring 14 points on 7-of-9 shooting and grabbing nine rebounds in Saint Joseph's victory over Providence.

FOR OPENERS
Saint Joseph's opened its 38th season with an impressive 64-49 victory over Providence on Friday, improving to 27-11 all-time in season-opening games. The Hawks, who have won 11 of their past 15 openers, improved to 7-3 in season openers under Cindy Griffin.

SHAKE AND BAKE
Junior guard Michelle Baker has been the Hawks' Ironman the past three years. Since her freshman season in 2008-09, Baker has appeared in every game for SJU, making 13 starts in 63 career games. Averaging 5.9 points per game to go with 2.6 rebounds per contest as a freshman and sophomore, Baker had a stellar start to her junior year, scoring a career-best 16 points to go with six rebounds in a win over Providence.

PRIM AND PROPPER
Coming off a stellar freshman campaign, sophomore point guard Ashley Prim opened the season with a bang, handing out a team-high six assists to go with six points and six boards. The Big 5 Co-Rookie of the Year and Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team selection, she paced the Hawks in assists last year and finished fourth in the conference at 3.7 per game. As a rookie, she averaged 7.2 points per game over a team-best 26.8 minutes a game.

MAKE WAY FOR JUNIORS
Saint Joseph's junior class - Samira Van Grinsven - accounted for 55 of the Hawks' 64 points in Friday's win over Providence.

A HELPING HAND
The Hawks assisted on 24 of their 27 field goals in Friday's win, with eight of 10 players recording at least one assist. The 24 helpers are the most since SJU recorded 24 in a win over Auburn on December 29, 2007. Saint Joseph's single-game mark for assists is 32 set against Fordham on December 29, 1992.

BLOCK PARTY
Registering nine blocks against the Friars, Saint Joseph's showed itself to be a shot-blocking threat this upcoming season. Led by seven rejections by junior forward/center Samira Van Grinsven, the Hawks fell just three blocks short of their single-game high of 12 (vs. Richmond 1/14/07).

THE FAST BREAK
• Sophomore guard Mireia Vila scored a point and added three assists in the opener. She scored just 11 points and had only five assists all last year.
• Freshmen guard Erin Shields is the daughter of former Hawk standout and current compliance director Renie Shields (nee Dunne). She scored two points and added three assists off the bench Friday.
• The Hawks returned two starters and eight letterwinners from last year's club that went 17-15, 9-5 in the Atlantic 10 and earned a WNIT berth.
• Saint Joseph's lost 52 percent of its scoring from a season ago as Amy Gillespie, Ashley Logue, Brittany Ford and Mariame Djouara accounted for 1,091 of the team's 2025 points last year.
• Saint Joseph's Athletics and Big 5 Hall of Famer Katie Gardler (nee Curry) was named Director of Basketball Operations this summer. The fourth all-time leading scorer in SJU history (1,663 points), Gardler helped the Hawks earn an NCAA Tournament berth in 1990 and claim four-straight Big 5 titles.

BRYANT AND KUESTER TO SERVE AS CAPTAINS IN 2010-11
Senior Dominique Bryant and junior Katie Kuester will serve as captains for the Hawks during the 2010-11 season. Bryant was one of three captains a season ago, while Kuester is in her first year of captaincy.

LOOKING AHEAD
The Hawks continue their road swing as they travel to UMBC on Saturday. Saint Joseph's topped the Retrievers 77-55 last November in the SJU's first game in Hagan Arena.