Jan. 21, 2012

Box Score

CINCINNATI - For the second straight game, it came down to the last possession for the opposition, and for the second-straight game, the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team came out the victors, downing Xavier, 70-67, Saturday afternoon at the Cintas Center.

Leading by as many as 10 points to start the second half, the Hawks (13-5, 3-1 Atlantic 10) saw their lead to cut to six points with 32 seconds to go. The Musketeers would get a layup by Jessica Pachko and stole the inbounds pass to get the ball back down 68-64 with 19 seconds remaining.

On the ensuing play, Pachko converted a three-point play to make it 68-67 with 10.4 seconds to go.

Saint Joseph's senior guard Katie Kuester (Media, Pa./Academy of Notre Dame de Namur) would get fouled on the inbounds and knocked down both free throws to make it 70-67 with seven seconds remaining.

The Hawks' defense picked up full court and harassed the Musketeers' Shatyra Hawkes into a desperation three pointer that fell short at the buzzer.

Xavier jumped out to a 10-2 run as the Hawks struggled from the floor hitting just 1-of-7 to start.

Saint Joseph's fought back to make it an 18-14 game on a three pointer by sophomore forward Ilze Gotfrida (Dobele, Latvia/Rigas Secondary School No. 49) at 9:52, but the Musketeers answered back with five-straight points top open a 23-14 lead on a jumper by Amber Gray at 8:38.

The Hawks rallied though, responding with a 16-2 run to take a 30-25 lead on a jumper by sophomore guard Erin Shields (Drexel Hill, Pa./Archbishop Carroll) at 2:16. Saint Joseph's, which took a 30-27 lead into halftime, knocked 12 of its final 23 field goals after the cold start.

Saint Joseph's opened the second half strong, hitting 4-of-4 from the floor to take a 41-31 lead on a baseline jumper by junior guard Ashley Prim (Ansonia, Conn./Kolbe Cathedral) at 16:57.

Xavier fought back though, making it a 56-54 game on a three-point play by Tyeasha Moss at 6:40. Both teams would trade baskets, as the Hawks pushed their lead to as many as six before the final frantic moments.

For the game, the Hawks shot 27-of-56 from the field (48.2 percent) and knocked down 11-of-14 from the foul line (78.6 percent). Senior guard Michelle Baker (Wilmington, Del./Brandywine) paced SJU with 15 points, while Shields added 13 points. Senior center Samira van Grinsven (Helmond, Netherlands/Jan van Brabaut) scored all 12 of her points in the second half, while Prim finished with a team-best five assists to go with nine points.

At the other end, Xavier shot 26-of-56 from the floor (46.4 percent) and got a game-high 19 points and 15 rebounds from Pachko.

The Hawks remain on the road as they head to St. Bonaventure on Wednesday. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Reilly Center.

- SJU -