PHILADELPHIA - Coming off a thrilling come-back victory at Richmond on Thursday to begin Atlantic 10 play, the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team returns home to host George Washington at 1 p.m. on Sunday. The game will be televised nationally on NBCSN.
• Saint Joseph's Game Notes
• Live Stats
• Live Audio
GAME STORIES . . .
• Saint Joseph's begins the home portion of its Atlantic 10 schedule Sunday as it hosts George Washington. The Hawks and Colonials will also meet again on January 22.
• The Hawks are accepting donations at Sunday's game on behalf of the family of junior Natasha Cloud. Cloud's family home was decimated by a fire onDecember 18, but thankfully no one was injured.
• The Hawks are coming off an 85-80 victory at Richmond on Thursday to improve to 27-4 all-time in Atlantic 10 openers.
• Saint Joseph's which fought back from a 12-point deficit at halftime, was led by 19 points from sophomore Sarah Fairbanks and the first career double-double by Ilze Gotfrida (14 points, 10 rebounds).
• Saturday's matchup is the 54th meeting between the Hawks and George Washington, with SJU holding a 29-24 edge.
• Saint Joseph's has won four-straight in the series dating back to the 2009-10 season.
• Sunday's game is a matchup the two programs with the most wins in Atlantic 10 history as they have combined for 633 conference wins.
• Saint Joseph's currently has won the most games in A-10 history as it enters Sunday with a 318-144 record in conference games, while the Colonials have posted a record of 315-147 to date.
Series History - Saint Joseph's vs. George Washington
All-Time Series: SJU Leads 29-24
Last Meeting: 1/17/13, SJU, 80-67
Last SJU Win: 1/17/13, 80-67
Last GW Win: 1/14/09, 66-60
Current SJU Streak: W-4
THE FAST BREAK
• Junior guard Natasha Cloud has more assists so far this season, 111, than a SJU season leader in that category nine times.
• Saint Joseph's has continued to gain respect nationally, earning votes in the previous four Associated Press Top 25 Poll. SJU received seven votes in this past week's poll.
• The Hawks have had back-to-back double-doubles in consecutive games for the first time this season. Sophomore Sarah Fairbanks had 13 points and 10 rebounds at Florida Gulf Coast, while senior Ilze Gotfrida posted 14 points and 10 rebounds against Richmond.
• The 85 points scored by SJU at Richmond were the most points it has scored this season, while the 80 points it gave up to the Spiders tied the season-high for points allowed.
• The Hawks posted three straight wins against teams that won their league last year. Liberty was the reigning Big South champs, while the Princeton captured the Ivy League title last year and Quinnipiac won the NEC. Additionally, the Hawks topped Florida Gulf Coast, who won the Atlantic Sun regular season title a year ago, but lost in the conference tournament.
• SJU's 28-point victory over Mount St. Mary's was the third-largest differential in a season-opening win for the Hawks. SJU topped Lehigh 91-34 (57 points) to start the 1977-78 season and bested the Mountain Hawks with a 79-37 (42 points) win in 1986-87.
