Jan. 11, 2011

PHILADELPHIA - Saint Joseph's women's basketball team opens the home portion of its Atlantic 10 schedule when the Hawks welcome #9 Xavier to Hagan Arena Wednesday. Game time has been moved to a 1 p.m. start and will be streamed live online on the Saint Joseph's Sports Network. Additionally, the pre-game Fitness Fieldtrip has been cancelled as well.

Saint Joseph's Game Notes

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GAME STORIES . . .
• The Hawks are coming off a 66-54 win at Saint Louis on Saturday as SJU improved to 25-4 all-time in conference-opening games.
• Wednesday's game is the 23rd meeting between Saint Joseph's and Xavier. The Musketeers hold a 13-9 edge in the series and have won the previous six games.
• Xavier is the second ranked opponent Saint Joseph's has faced this year. The Hawks previously fell to #18/20 Maryland, 74-60, at Hagan Arena (1/2/11).
• Wednesday's game is also the second-straight and third overall Jesuit Basketball Spotlight game for the Hawks. Saint Joseph's is currently 2-0 on the year with wins over Saint Louis and Detroit.
• Saint Joseph's enters the week with the 24th-best RPI in the nation. The Hawks are one of three Atlantic 10 teams ranked in the top 25, joining Xavier (No. 9) and Duquesne (No. 22). SJU is also one of just three teams to have no votes in the most recent national polls, alongside Duquesne and Middle Tennessee (No. 17).
• The Hawks are coming off a 9-5 season in Atlantic 10 play in 2009-10 and finished tied for fourth. Returning just two starters, Saint Joseph's was picked to finish seventh overall in the conference this season.

Series History - Saint Joseph's vs. Xavier
All-Time Series: XU Leads 13-9
Last Meeting: 2/13/10, SJU, 71-67
Last SJU Win: 2/13/10, 71-67
Last Xavier Win: 1/24/09, 75-72
Current SJU Streak: L-6

LAST TIME OUT: HAWKS TOP SAINT LOUIS, 66-54, IN A-10 OPENER
Shooting 50 percent from the field (24-of-48), Saint Joseph's topped Saint Louis, 66-54, in the Hawks' Atlantic 10 opener. Leading 43-36, SJU used a 6-1 run to go up 49-37. Saint Joseph's defense would never allow Saint Louis to come closer than seven points as it held the Billikens to just 29.4 percent (10-of-34). Boxscore and game recap on page 14.

700 CLUB
With its win over Lafayette, Saint Joseph's became the 31st team in NCAA Division I women's basketball history to hit the 700-win plateau. The Hawks, who are 701-364 all-time in 38 seasons, are also the first Catholic college to hit the historic mark and lead all Philadelphia area schools in wins by more than 100 over its nearest competition.

SHAKE AND BAKE
Junior guard Michelle Baker has proven to be the "go to" player on Saint Joseph's this season. Over the opening 15 games, Baker has led the Hawks in scoring eight times and is averaging 14.9 points a game, while shooting 43.9 percent from the floor (93-of-212). Among the many clutch shots from Baker this year, her layup with 4.2 seconds left lifted SJU past New Hampshire, 67-66, in the Hawk Classic opening game.

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.

HAWKEYE
The past five games, Saint Joseph's has been deadly from behind the arc, which includes knocking down five or more three-point field goals in successive games. The Hawks, who shot 27.8 percent from behind the arc (39-of-140) over the first 10 games of the year, have hit 35-of-77 the last three games, raising the team's percentage to 34.1 percent

HAWKS VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
Wednesday's contest versus #9 Xavier marks the 142nd time the Hawks faced a nationally ranked team. With its earlier loss to Last Sunday's contest versus #18/20 Maryland, SJU enters Wednesday with a 31-110 record against ranked teams, with its last win coming against #15 Auburn, 71-69, in the title game of the Hawk Classic (Dec. 29, 2007).

MAKE WAY FOR JUNIORS
Saint Joseph's junior class - Samira Van Grinsven - accounted for 55 of the Hawks' 64 points in their win over Providence to start the year and the trend has continued ever since. For the season, the juniors have scored 623 of the team's 911 points (68.3 percent) and are currently the top four scorers on SJU.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
Saint Joseph's 10 wins against non-conference opponents this year is the third most in team history since the Hawks joined the Atlantic 10. The Hawks's record for non-conference wins is 17, set during the 1984-85 season, with SJU winning 14 games the previous year in 1983-84.

TAKING A KUE
The Hawks' returning leader in three-point field goals (31), junior guard Katie Kuester has truly turned it on of late. Currently second on the team in scoring at 11.9 points per game, the Media, Pa. native has surpassed her previous season-best with 34 three pointers this year, 19 of which have come in the past five games.

EFFICIENT CAVALLO
One thing junior Kelly Cavallo proved over her freshman and sophomore seasons was that she was one of the more efficient scorers on the team. A career 51.1 percent shooter (46-of-90) heading into the season, Cavallo has shined in her increased role as a starter this year. She is currently shooting a 58.4 percent from the floor (52-of-89).

STEADY D
One thing that has been consistent through non-conference slate for SJU has been its defense. The Hawks currently are second the Atlantic 10 in points allowed (53.9 ppg) and third in opponents' field goal percentage (34.9 percent). Additionally, only Detroit and Maryland have shot better than 40 percent from the floor against Saint Joseph's.

PRIM AND PROPPER
Coming off a stellar freshman campaign, sophomore point guard Ashley Prim has steadily improved every game this year. Serving as SJU's top reserve, Prim enters the week leading the team in assists (55) and has averaged 6.8 assists per game over the past three contests. The 2010 Big 5 Co-Rookie of the Year and Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team selection is also second on the team in steals (21) and averaging 5.1 points per contest.

BLOCK PARTY
The Hawks enter Saturday's contest with arguably its most formidable shot-blocking presence in years. The duo of juniors Samira Van Grinsven (27) and Kelly Cavallo (24) have combined for 51 of the team's 63 blocks this season. Van Grinsven registered seven blocks in her Hawk debut, while Cavallo has blocked a shot in 13 of 15 games so far this year. The two are on pace to finish amongst SJU's top-10 single-season leaders.

THE HAWKS' IRONWOMAN
Junior guard Michelle Baker has been the Hawks' Ironwoman the past three years. Since her freshman season in 2008-09, Baker has appeared in every game for SJU, making 27 starts in 77 career games. She is currently averaging 7.5 points and 2.9 rebounds per game for her career.

SHIELDS EARNS STARTING NOD
After adding a spark off the bench over the opening six games, freshman guard Erin Shields has cracked the Hawks' starting lineup the past eight games and helped SJU to a 8-1 mark. Over the recent stretch, Shields has averaged 7.0 points and 2.5 assists per game, and hit an overtime-forcing buzzer-beater against Detroit.

GOT GOTFRIDA?
After playing two minutes over the opening five contests, freshman forward Ilze Gotfrida has become a consistent offensive threat for the Hawks. Beginning with SJU's game against Tulane, Gotfrida has tallied 56 points over an nine-game span, including a season-best 20 points against Lafayette en route to earning Hawk Classic All-Tournament Team honor. She enters is currently shooting 64.1 percent from the field (25-of-39) and averaging 2.5 rebounds per game.

AHEAD OF THE GAME
Even with four losses, Saint Joseph's has never been out of a game this season. In fact, the Hawks have held a lead in all 15 contests, including their losses. Saint Joseph's led both Tulane and Drexel with under six minutes to go in each game, and tied the game with less than seven minutes to play at Lehigh.

SAINT JOSEPH'S CLAIMS 20TH ANNUAL HAWK CLASSIC TITLE
Saint Joseph's claimed the 20th Annual Hawk Classic title in style, easing to a 75-40 win over Lafayette. The Hawks, who have now won their own tournament eight times, advanced to the championship game thanks to a layup by junior guard Michelle Baker that lifted them to a 67-66 win over New Hampshire in the opening round. Junior guard Katie Kuester was named Hawk Classic MVP as she scored 19 points in SJU's win over Lafayette and added 14 points in the win over New Hampshire. Freshman forward Ilze Gotfrida was also named to the Hawk Classic All-tournament Team as she scored a season-high 20 points to go with five rebounds, three steals a block and an assist against Lafayette.

LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Joseph's remains at home as the Hawks host Charlotte this Saturday, January 15. Game time is set for 2 p.m. at Hagan Arena.