Feb. 17, 2012

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Saint Joseph's women's basketball team rides a three-game win streak into Saturday's game at Charlotte as the pair face off at 7 p.m. at Halton Arena. Fans can list to all the action live on the Saint Joseph's Sports Network.

Saint Joseph's Game Notes

Listen Live

Live Stats

GAME STORIES . . .
• Charlotte and Saint Joseph's enter Saturday's contest tied with Richmond for fourth place in the Atlantic 10 with matching 7-4 conference records.
• The Hawks are just 2-6 all-time against Charlotte and have lost five-straight to the 49ers.
• Saint Joseph's is 0-3 at Charlotte and 0-4 all-time at Halton Arena, with a loss to St. Bonaventure in the Opening Round of the 2009 Atlantic 10 Tournament.
• The Hawks shot 45.8 percent from the flood (55-of-120) in their wins over Saint Louis and Rhode Island.
• Saint Joseph's perimeter defense has been stifling in A-10 play, holding opponents to 26.2 percent from three-point range (33-of-126). Additionally, the Hawks held La Salle, Saint Louis, Rhode Island to a combined 3-of-33 from behind the arc (9.1 percent).
• Senior Kelly Cavallo leads the A-10 in shooting percentage at 57.7 percent overall (86-of-149) and 65 percent in conference games (39-of-60).
• With six rebounds and three blocked shots against Rhode Island, Cavallo added her name again to SJU's single-season leaders in both categories. Her 43 blocked shots are eighth most in a single season, while the 205 rebounds are 25th. She previously set career-high with 226 rebounds and 45 blocked shots last year.
• Senior Samira van Grinsven has averaged three blocks per game over the past two contests and enters Saturday's game with 69 rejections as a Hawk, just four shy of 10th place in team history.

Series History - Saint Joseph's vs. Charlotte
All-Time Series: CHA leads 6-2
Last Meeting: 1/15/11, CHA, 66-5
Last SJU Win: 3/3/07, 76-64
Last CHA Win: 1/15/11, 66-57
Current SJU Streak: L-5

BAKER BECOMES 21ST HAWK TO REACH 1,000 CAREER POINTS
Senior guard Michelle Baker became the 21st SJU player to reach 1,000 career points this past Saturday at Richmond. Baker reached the career milestone on a jumpshot with 11:06 left in the second half. She currently has 1,044 points and ranks 19th all-time, trailing Melissa Coursey `99 by just three points and Amra Mehmedic `04 by 10 points.

BALANCED OFFENSIVE ATTACK
With six players averaging more than seven points per game, Saint Joseph's has put the emphasis on sharing the ball at the offensive end. Additionally only Katie Kuester and Michelle Baker have posted 20-point performances so far this year.

DEFENSE THE DIFFERENCE
A staple for the Hawks over the years has been their tenacious defense. This season it has continued as Saint Joseph's has held opponents to 345-for-995 from the floor (34.7 percent) in its 17 wins. Additionally, the Hawks held Lehigh, Drexel, Saint Francis (Pa.), Quinnipiac, Penn and La Salle to under 30 percent shooting, and had their top-two defensive performances of the year recently, limiting Penn and Fordham to 34 and 46 points, respectively.

CAVALLO RANKS AMONG SJU'S ALL-TIME LEADERS
Even with more than five to go, senior forward Kelly Cavallo has already made a big impact on the Saint Joseph's record book. A stellar defender, Cavallo has recorded 117 career blocked shots, good for second in program history, while her 556 career rebounds ranks 14th all-time. Additionally, the Hampton Bays, N.Y. native is only the second Hawk ever to amass 100+ blocks and 500 rebounds, joining current assistant coach Stephanie McCaffrey `04 (nee Graff) who finished with 175 blocks and 788 rebounds.

HAWKS EXCEL AGAIN IN NONCONFERENCE PLAY
For the second-straight year Saint Joseph's has posted 10 wins during the nonconference portion of the schedule. The Hawks, who went 10-4 in the nonconference the past two seasons, won 17 nonconference games in 1984-85 to set the all-time record. SJU had won 14 nonconference games the previous year, 1983-84.

KUESTER SJU'S ALL-TIME LEADER IN FT PERCENTAGE
Senior Katie Kuester is currently SJU's all-time leader in free throw percentage. Knocking down 130 of 153 shots for 85.0 percent, she has hit 35-of-43 from the foul line (81.4 percent) this year.

THE HAWKS' IRONWOMAN
Senior guard Michelle Baker has been the Hawks' Ironwoman since 2008-09. Beginning as a freshman, Baker has appeared in all 119 games for SJU, while making 67 starts. She is currently averaging 8.7 points and 3.3 rebounds per game for her career.

TAKING CARE OF THE BALL
A mainstay with any Cindy Griffin squad, this year's Hawks are proving to be one of the best teams in the nation in handling the basketball. Saint Joseph's currently ranks 10th in the nation in turnovers per game (13.2), and have posted 11 games of 11 turnovers or fewer, including a season-low four turnovers at #8 Maryland. Additionally, the Hawks are 19th overall in assist-to-turnover ratio at 1.05.

SHIELDS AND PRIM POST FORMIDABLE DUO
Having the option of junior Ashley Prim or sophomore Erin Shields run the point is a welcomed opportunity for the Hawks. Combining for 197 of the team's 475 assists last year, the duo has continued to impress, accounting for 145 of SJU's 348 assists this season.

PARKER MAKES MOST OF HER MINUTES
After playing just 38 minutes over 11 games as a rookie, sophomore guard Kasie Parker has made a strong presence off the bench for the Hawks this year. Averaging 10.7 minutes per game through 25 contests, Parker has given SJU a boost off the bench, adding 3.7 points and 1.1 rebounds per game so far this year. She has scored in double figures three times this year after not scoring a point as a rookie last season.

PRIM HITS HER PRIME
Junior Ashley Prim has become a focal point for the Hawks' offense this season. Relied upon for her passing ability, the SJU point guard has proven to be a key scorer for the Hawks this year. Matching her career-high with 18 points at La Salle, Prim has averaged a career-best 9.6 points per game this year and leads the Hawks in assists (85), steals (33) and free throws (75) while averaging just 24.0 minutes per game.

KUESTER SEVENTH ALL-TIME IN THREE POINTERS
Senior Katie Kuester enters Saturday's game seventh all-time in team history for three point field goals. The four-year letterwinner has hit 150 field goals and trails Angela Zampella (184) for sixth.

SHIELDS AMONG SJU'S MOST EFFICIENT DEEP THREATS
In under two seasons, sophomore Erin Shields has proven to be one of the most reliable three-point shooters in Saint Joseph's history. Converting 84-of-216 of her attempts heading into Saturday, Shields currently is third all-time in three-point efficiency at 38.9 percent.

WORTH THE WAIT
Having missed the previous two seasons due to injury, redshirt sophomore Ashley Robinson has shown to be a steady force in the paint for SJU. Posting an 18-point, 10 rebound performance in the season opener at Princeton, she ranks third among SJU post players in scoring (5.4 ppg), third overall in blocked shots (14) and third overall in rebounding (3.6 rpg).

VAN GRINSVEN REACHS 1,000 POINT MARK FOR CAREER
Senior Samira van Grinsven surpassed the 1,000-point mark for her career with a second-half basket at Lafayette. The two-year starter has tallied 427 points over 57 games (7.5 ppg) in Crimson and Gray after scoring 723 points her first two collegiate seasons at Casper College, good for 1,154 total points.

PRIM PROVIDES PERIMETER PUNCH
Adding a new element to her game this season, junior Ashley Prim has given the Hawks an extra threat from three-point range. Converting just 13-of-52 attempts from behind the arc over her first two seasons, Prim has knocked down 14-of-39 three pointers this season, good for 35.9 percent.

EFFICIENT CAVALLO
Senior Kelly Cavallo posted one of the most efficient seasons in program history in 2010-11. Hitting 116 of 189 shots, Cavallo posted SJU's second-best single-season field goal percentage at .614. For her career, she is shooting .579 from the floor (243-of-420), while she has hit on 57.7 percent of her shots this year (86-of-149).

SCHOLARLY SMITH
A standout on the court and the classroom, junior Shelby Smith is one of just two Hawks in program history to earn Philadelphia Big 5 All-Academic Team. The finance major is also a member of both the A-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll and SJU Athletic Director's Honor Roll. On the court this season, Smith has worked at becoming more of a scorer and has tallied 36 points so far this season, surpassing her total of 23 from 2010-11.