Feb. 21, 2010

Box Score

RICHMOND, Va. - Saint Joseph's senior forward Brittany Ford came off the bench in the final moments to knock down a baseline jumper with :00.9 remaining to lift the Hawks to a 67-66 win over Richmond Sunday afternoon at the Robins Center.

Trailing 66-63, Saint Joseph's got a jumper from senior guard Mariame Djouara to make it a one-point game with 1:12 to go.

Both the Spiders and Hawks failed to convert in their next possessions as Richmond's Danielle Bell grabbed a long defensive rebound and was fouled with :13 to go.

Bell missed both foul shots, with SJU freshman guard Ashley Prim grabbing the defensive rebound and driving the length of the court. Prim tried to draw a foul on Richmond's Kara Powell, but the defender positioned herself well, having the ball glance off her back instead with :03.6 left.

Following a Saint Joseph's timeout, one in which Ford returned to the game, SJU sophomore guard Katie Kuester found Ford open on the left baseline. With time to catch and shoot, Ford knocked down a 15-foot jumper to give the Hawks a 67-66 lead with :00.9 to go.

Powell's desperation shot never had a shot as Saint Joseph's improved to 15-12 overall and 8-4 in the Atlantic 10.

In the first half, neither team could pull away, with Richmond opening the biggest lead, 13-7. The Hawks answered back with a 9-0 run, as a layup by senior center Ashley Logue gave SJU a 16-13 edge with 10:40 left in the period.

Neither team would get ahead by more than four from there, with Saint Joseph's taking a 33-31 lead into the final half. The Hawks, which shot 42.9 percent from the floor (12-of-28) in the first half, allowed Richmond to stay close as the Spiders converted 12 SJU turnovers in 17 points.

Richmond (16-10, 5-6 A-10) opened the second half with a strong showing, outscoring Saint Joseph's 16-5 to start, taking a 47-38 lead on a jump shot by Brittani Shells at 13:32.

The Hawks fought back, but would only grab the lead for :00.9 seconds, the most important seconds of the game.

Individually, Ford led SJU with 14 points and added seven rebounds, while Djouara posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Prim finished a rebound shy of a double-double, scoring 11 points, grabbing nine rebounds and adding a game-high six assists, while senior guard Amy Gillespie was the fourth Hawk in double figures, adding 10 points.

As a team, Saint Joseph's shot 43.6 percent for the game (24-of-55), 44.4 percent from behind the arc (4-of-9) and 78.9 percent from the foul line (15-of-19). Richmond, which was led by a career-best 21 points from Abby Oliver, shot 37.9 percent from the field (25-of-66).

Saint Joseph's caps the road portion of its schedule this Thursday at Massachusetts. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Mullins Center.