Jan. 6, 2011

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - Saint Joseph's women's basketball team opens its Atlantic 10 slate this Saturday as the Hawks travel to face Saint Louis at Chaifetz Arena. The game is set for an 8 p.m. EST tip and can be heard free on the Saint Joseph's Sports Network.

Saint Joseph's Game Notes

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GAME STORIES . . .
• The Hawks have posted a 24-4 all-time record in Atlantic 10 openers, including a 62-57 win over Fordham last year to begin conference play.
• Three of SJU's four losses in Atlantic 10 openers have come at home (11/26/83 - West Virginia, L, 59-56; 1/16/93 - George Washington, L, 80-77; 1/11/09 - Temple, L, 58-53), with the one road loss coming at Temple (59-53, 1/9/07).
• In their first Atlantic 10 game of the season, the Hawks have posted a 22-6 all-time mark, but have lost its first conference road game the past two seasons (1/16/10 - Temple, L, 58-55 OT; 1/11/09 - Temple, L, 58-53).
• 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. Saint Louis was picked to finish 10th.
• Saturday's game is the seventh meeting between Saint Joseph's and the Billikens. The Hawks hold a 5-1 edge, with the lone loss coming at the Chaifetz Arena, 75-72, on January 24, 2009.
• The Hawks had their seven-game win streak snapped on Sunday as they fell to Maryland, 74-60, at Hagan Arena. The streak was SJU's longest since it went 7-0 to start 2005-06.
• Junior guard Katie Kuester is the reigning Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week. Named Hawk Classic MVP, she has averaged 18.7 points per game over the last three contests and shot 53.3 percent from the field (16-of-30) and 54.2 percent from behind the arc (13-of-24).

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 700-364 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 13 games, Baker has led the Hawks in scoring eight times and is averaging 15.2 points a game, while shooting 45.4 percent from the floor (83-of-183). 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 four games, Saint Joseph's has been deadly from behind the arc, which includes knocking down more than six 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 30-of-68 the last three games, raising the team's percentage to 33.2 percent

HAWKS VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
Last Sunday's contest versus #18/20 Maryland marked the 141st time the Hawks faced a nationally ranked team. With the loss, SJU fell to 31-110 in those games, with its last win coming against #15 Auburn, 71-69, in the title game of the Hawk Classic on December 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 577 of the team's 845 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 11.4 points per game, the Media, Pa. native has matched her previous season-best with 31 three pointers this year, 16 of which have come in the past four 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 team-high 59.5 percent from the floor (50-of-84).

STEADY D
One thing that has been consistant 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 fourth in opponents' field goal percentage (35.0 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 weekend leading the team in assists (49) and has averaged 6.3 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 (18) and averaging 4.9 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 (25) and Kelly Cavallo (22) have combined for 47 of the team's 58 blocks this season. Van Grinsven registered seven blocks in her Hawk debut, while Cavallo has blocked a shot in 12 of 14 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 26 starts in 76 career games. She is currently averaging 7.4 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 7-1 mark. Over the recent stretch, Shields has averaged 7.5 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 50 points over an eight-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 62.9 percent from the field (22-of-35) and averaging 2.6 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 14 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.