Jan. 18, 2011

PHILADELPHIA - Saint Joseph's women's basketball team will try to snap a two-game losing streak as the Hawks travel to Temple for a 5 p.m. tip at the Liacouras Center on Wednesday. The game will be streamed live online with free audio provided by on the Saint Joseph's Sports Network.

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GAME STORIES . . .
• Wednesday's match-up is the first of two contests between Saint Joseph's and Temple this season. The Hawks will host the Owls in SJU's home finale on February 23 at Hagan Arena with that game counting toward the Big 5 standings.
• Saint Joseph's holds a 40-30 edge in the all-time series against Temple, but have dropped nine-straight games to the Owls. The last SJU win came at home on January 27, 2006 (W, 65-64), with the previous win at the Liacouras Center coming on January 26, 2003 (W, 49-47).
• Nine of the previous 10 games between the SJU and Owls have been decided by seven points or fewer, with two contests going to overtime. Both of last year's games were one-possession games with the Owls posting a 58-55 overtime win at home and a 58-56 win on the road.
• The Hawks and Owls are the opening game of a doubleheader that features Temple's men's team hosting Penn in the nightcap.
• The Hawks have struggled from the field in the past two games (against Xavier and Charlotte). Saint Joseph's has converted just 32.2 percent of its shots (39-of-121) during its losing streak and has been out rebounded 99-68 by its opponents.
• Saint Joseph's looks to improve to 2-2 in Atlantic 10 play as it heads into Wednesday's contest with a 1-2 conference mark. The Hawks have opened conference play with a 1-2 record five times, with SJU's worse start coming in 1983-84 and 2008-09 when it opened Atlantic 10 play with 1-4 records.
• Junior forward/center Samira Van Grinsven is coming off a season-best 17 points against Charlotte, with freshman Erin Shields posting a season-high eight assists versus the 49ers.

Series History - Saint Joseph's vs. Temple
All-Time Series: SJU Leads 40-30
Last Meeting: 2/2/10, Temple, 58-56
Last SJU Win: 1/27/06, 65-64
Last Temple Win: 2/2/10, 58-56
Current SJU Streak: L-9

SHAKE AND BAKE
Junior guard Michelle Baker has proven to be the "go to" player on Saint Joseph's this season. Over the opening 17 games, Baker has led the Hawks in scoring eight times and is averaging 13.9 points a game, while shooting 40.7 percent from the floor (99-of-243). 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
Saint Joseph's threat from behind the arc has been fully realized of late. Starting at Delaware and ending against Saint Louis, SJU knocked 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, hit 35-of-77 during that stretch, raising the team's percentage to 34.1 percent.

HAWKS VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
With its 75-54 loss to #8 Xavier last Wednesday, Saint Joseph's fell to 31-111 all-time against nationally-ranked teams. The Hawks' last win came 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 689 of the team's 1,022 points (67.4 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 11.6 points per game, the Media, Pa. native has surpassed her previous season-best with 38 three pointers this year, 23 of which have come in the past seven 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 year, Cavallo has shined as a starter this year. She is currently shooting a 57.6 percent from the floor (57-of-99), and averaging a career-high 7.8 points a game.

STEADY D
One thing that has been consistant through non-conference slate for SJU has been its defense. The Hawks currently are fourth the Atlantic 10 in points allowed (55.9 ppg) and opponents' field goal percentage (35.7 percent). Additionally, only Detroit, Maryland and Xavier 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 (59). 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 (28) and Kelly Cavallo (25) have combined for 53 of the team's 65 blocks this season. Van Grinsven registered seven blocks in her Hawk debut, while Cavallo has blocked a shot in 14 of 16 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 29 starts in 79 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 10 games and helped SJU to a 8-3 mark. Over the recent stretch, Shields has averaged 7.4 points and 2.8 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 59 points over an 11-game span, including a season-best 20 points against Lafayette en route to earning Hawk Classic All-Tournament Team honor. She is currently shooting 55.3 percent from the field (26-of-47) and averaging 2.3 rebounds per game.

LOOKING AHEAD
Saint Joseph's returns home to host Massachusetts Saturday at Hagan Arena. Game time is set for 2 p.m.