March 5, 2010

Box Score

UPPER MARLBORO, Md. - Backed by its best shooting half of the season, the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team top Fordham, 76-62, in Friday's Opening Round of the 2010 Atlantic 10 Championship at Show Place Arena. The Hawks, who shot 60 percent (18-of-30) in the second half, will face Charlotte Saturday at 2:30 p.m. in the quarterfinals.

The 12th-seeded Rams took control of the game early, jumping out to a 22-15 edge 10:37 into the opening stanza.

Saint Joseph's sophomore guard Katie Kuester came off the bench to spark her team. Kuester knocked down three-straight three-point field goals to tie the game at 24 all at the 6:31 mark.

The Hawks (17-13), seeded fifth in this year's conference tournament, outscored Fordham 7-4 over the remaining time to take a 31-28 edge into halftime.

Up 39-35, Saint Joseph's began to pull away early into the second half. Senior center Ashley Logue scored two of her team-high 17 points to start a 6-0 run that put the Hawks ahead by double digits for the first time in the game.

And the lead stuck, as Saint Joseph's never allowed Fordham within nine points over the final 10 minutes, ballooning its lead to as many as 17 points.

As a team, Saint Joseph's finished 30-of-59 from the field (50.8 percent), went 7-of-17 from behind the arc (41.2 percent) and shot 9-of-13 from the foul line (69.2 percent). The Hawks also out rebounded the Rams 45-25 and got 37 points from their bench.

Individually, Logue added five rebounds to go with her team-high 17 points, while Kuester finished with four three-point field goals to finish with 12 points. Senior forward Brittany Ford continued to climb towards the 1,000 point plateau, adding 12 points to come within eight points of the mark.

Hawks' sophomore guard Michelle Baker added 10 points off the bench, with senior guard Mariame Djouara adding eight points and six rebounds. Senior guard Amy Gillespie scored six points, with freshman guard Ashley Prim finishing with five points and four assists. Junior forward Dominique Bryant and sophomore forward Kelly Cavallo each grabbed six rebounds apiece, with Bryant finishing with three points and Cavallo chipping in two points and a pair of assists. Freshman guard Shelby Smith rounded out Saint Joseph's scoring with a point and added four assists, while classmate Mireia Vila earned two minutes of playing time.

At the other end, Becky Peters scored a game-high 19 points as Fordham shot 40.4 percent from the floor (23-of-57). The loss ends Fordham's year with an 8-22 overall mark.