PISCATAWAY, N.J. - The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team opens its 2014-15 season this Friday as the Hawks travel to #24/RV Rutgers. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Rutgers Athletic Center.
GAME STORIES . . .
• The Hawks return eight letterwinners, including four starters, from last year's team that went 23-10 and advanced to the Second Round of NCAA Tournament.
• Entering their 42nd season of NCAA Division I competition, the Hawks have posted a 28-13 all-time record in season opening games.
• SJU is 8-5 all-time in season opening games that were on the road.
• Friday's game is the 44th meeting between the Hawks and Scarlet Knights.
• Rutgers holds a 28-15 edge in the all-time series and has won the last two contests.
• In its last meeting, Saint Joseph's fell at # 5/3 Rutgers, 86-59, in the season opening game of 2008-09.
• The Hawks versus the Scarlet Knights at the Rutgers Athletic Center.
• Friday marks the eighth time the Hawks have opened the season versus a nationally ranked opponents. In the previous seven meetings, SJU has gone 1-6.
Series History - Saint Joseph's vs. Rutgers
All-Time Series: RU Leads 28-15
Last Meeting: 11/14/08, RU, 86-59
Last SJU Win: 11/18/01, 64-58
Last Rutgers Win: 11/14/08, 86-59
Current SJU Streak: L-2
MARZ TO MISS 2014-15 SEASON
Saint Joseph's freshman Avery Marz will sit out the 2014-15 basketball season for medical reasons. A highly-touted guard from Wilson West Lawn High School, Marz suffered a stroke this past August. Working at home with physical therapists to regain full motion in her left arm and leg, she has taken a medical leave for the fall semester, but has been present for numerous team outings and practices. Marz will return to campus and begin taking classes in January. A four-year letterwinner at Wilson West Lawn, Marz led her team to four-straight District 3 AAAA titles and Berks County championships. Averaging 12.6 points per game as a senior, she was named an All-American Honorable Mention by the Sporting News and the Berks County Player of the Year as she helped her team to a #23 national ranking by the Sporting News.
FIORAVANTI OUT FIRST SEMESTER PER NCAA RULES
Saint Joseph's sophomore forward Amanda Fioravanti will sit out the fall semester of the 2014-15 season per NCAA transfer rules. Named the 2012-13 Gatorade Player of the Year for Maryland, Fioravanti came to SJU last January after playing at Virginia the first semester. While with the Cavaliers, Fioravanti averaged 1.5 points and 1.1 rebounds per game over eight games.
TRIO OF HAWKS SERVING AS CAPTAINS IN 2014-15
Graduate student Ashley Robinson, senior Natasha Cloud and junior Sarah Fairbanks are serving as team captains this season. Robinson and Cloud are serving as a team captains for the second straight year, while Fairbanks is a captain for the first time this season.
GRIFFIN SECOND ALL-TIME IN WINS AT HAWK HILL
Entering her 14th season at her alma mater, Cindy Griffin is second all-time in team history in victories at Saint Joseph's. Over her first 13 seasons on Hawk Hill, Griffin has posted a 246-166 mark. Having led SJU to a record 10 postseason appearances during her tenure she trails only Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Jim Foster (248) in career wins.
HAWKS LOOK FOR SIXTH STRAIGHT POSTSEASON BID
SJU is coming off its fifth consecutive postseason appearance, earning an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament and advancing to the second round. SJU, which earned Postseason WNIT bids from 2009-10 to 2011-12 and NCAA Tournament bids the last two years, is currently tied for its second-longest postseason appearance streak. The Hawks previously made four straight appearances from 1975-79 and 1996-2000. Saint Joseph's longest consecutive postseason appearance streak is six seasons, from 1984-85 to 1989-90.
CLOUD RETURNS AS TOP DISTRIBUTOR
Natasha Cloud capped her junior year second nationally in assists per game at 7.6. She enters her senior season as the nation's leading distributor though as last year's leader, Jamierra Faulkner of Southern Miss graduated.
HAWKS PICKED THIRD IN ATLANTIC 10 PRESEASON POLL
Returning four starters and eight letterwinners overall from last year's squad that went 23-10 and advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament, Saint Joseph's was picked to finish third after garnering 156 points in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll. Receiving all 14 first place votes, Dayton was picked first with 196 points. George Washington was next with 173 points, followed by the Hawks, St. Bonaventure (153) fourth, Fordham (143) fifth, Richmond (104) sixth, Duquesne (103) seventh and La Salle (97) in eighth. Saint Louis was picked ninth with 90 points, followed by VCU (87), George Mason (54), A-10 newcomer Davidson (42), Rhode Island (39) and Massachusetts (24), respectively.
SJU 13TH IN HAYS' PRESEASON MID-MAJOR POLL
ESPN writer Graham Hays picked the Hawks 13th nationally in his Preseason Mid-Major Poll. Saint Joseph's was one of four Atlantic 10 teams mentioned in the poll, joining Dayton (first), George Washington (third) and St. Bonaventure (15th).
OFFENSIVE PUNCH LOST TO GRADUATION
With the departures of seniors Erin Shields, Ilze Gotfrida and Kelsey Berger to graduation last May, the Hawks lost a big portion of their offensive punch. Last season, the trio accounted for 41 percent of the team's scoring as they tallied a combined 966 points out of the team's 2,358. Additionally, the seniors were a major part of SJU's perimeter threat, totaling 124 of the team's 166 three-point field goals (74.7 percent).
HAWKS EXCEL IN NONCONFERENCE PLAY
Saint Joseph's has posted a winning record in nonconference play the past four seasons, including a 11-2 mark last year. Over the last four years, the Hawks have posted a combined 40-15 record.
SAINT JOSEPH'S VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
Friday marks the 153rd time Saint Joseph's has faced a nationally ranked opponent as the Hawks travel to #24/RV Rutgers. Saint Joseph's enters the game with a 33-119 record versus ranked opponents. The Hawks have lost three straight games to ranked opponents, including a 91-52 loss at #1 Connecticut in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament last year. Full results versus ranked opponents are available on pages 133-134 of the Saint Joseph's University Media Guide.
HAWK HILL ADVANTAGE
Saint Joseph's has always had a reputation of playing well at home. Over 41 seasons, the Hawks have boasted a 390-138 mark at Hawk Hill, including a 58-21 record at Hagan Arena.
CLOUD NAMED ONE OF 10 MID-MAJOR PLAYERS TO WATCH
Senior guard Natasha Cloud, who was named to the Nancy Lieberman Watch List as one of the top point guards in the nation a year ago, is already gaining national attention this year as she was named the fifth best mid-major player by ESPN's Graham Hays. Per Hays, “No returning player averaged more assists per game a season ago than Cloud, but the 6-foot senior who began her career at Maryland isn't just about distributing. With her size and ability to get in the paint to both rebound and finish (nearly a quarter of her points last season came at the free throw line), she's the same kind of triple-double threat on a nightly basis as Iowa's Sam Logic. And even though Cloud had 107 more assists as a junior than as a sophomore, she accumulated only 12 additional turnovers. For all of that, she might be most valuable -- or at least equally valuable -- on the other end of the court, where she was the A-10 defensive player of the year.”
HAWKS TO FACE TOUGH COMPETITION IN 2014-15
As is the standard for Saint Joseph's scheduling, facing strong opponents is the norm and 2014-15 is no different. This season, the Hawks will play 14 games against opponents that made a postseason tournament last year.
CLOUD NAMED TO A-10 PRESEASON TEAMS
Senior guard Natasha Cloud was recognized by the Atlantic 10 as one of the top players in the conference as she was named to the Preseason All-Conference First Team and All-Defensive Team. Cloud is coming off an impressive junior season in which she helped SJU the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament. Named to the Nancy Lieberman Award Watch List for the top point guard in the country, Cloud set the Hawks' single-season record for assists in 2013-14 with 243 and enters her senior season tied for eighth all-time with 385. Named the A-10 Defensive Player of the Year and selected to the All-Conference Second Team, she posted also career-high 11.5 points per game and led the team in steals (64) and minutes per game (35.0).
FAIRBANKS NAMED TO A-10 PRESEASON THIRD TEAM
Junior forward Sarah Fairbanks earned Atlantic 10 honors to start the year as she was named to the Preseason All-Conference Third Team. Posting one of the best break-through seasons in the A-10 last year, Fairbanks proved to be the Hawks' most reliable post player. After tallying just 49 points as a freshman, Fairbanks finished last year with 419 points, good for 12.7 points per game. Appearing in all 33 games, and making 26 starts, Fairbanks topped SJU in blocked shots (38) and field goal percentage (.503) and finished second in rebounding at 5.9 per game.
ROBINSON RETURNS FOR FINAL SEASON
Graduate student Ashley Robinson begins her sixth season at SJU on Friday. Missing the first two seasons (2009-11) due to leg injury, the 6-foot-2 forward has continually improved every season. A two-year starter, Robinson averaged a career-best 6.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game over 25 contests last year.
ANDREWS AND FAIRBANKS CAREER YEARS
Serving as key reserves as rookies, Ciara Andrews and Sarah Fairbanks burst onto the scene in 2013-14 as the pair both set career highs in several categories, while locking down starting spots. Averaging 21.1 minutes per game, Andrews averaged 9.2 points per game last season, up from 1.5 ppg as a freshman. Proving to be one of the most reliable post players in the Atlantic 10, Fairbanks tallied 12.7 points and 5.9 rebounds per game after averaging just 1.8 ppg and 2.2 rpg as a rookie.
ODDS AND ENDS
• Redshirt sophomore guard Jordan Strode returns to the court after missing 61 straight games dating back to the 2012-13 season due to injury.
• Freshman froward Adashia Franklyn is the daughter of former All-American and Temple Hall of Famer Marilyn Stephens-Franklyn.
• Freshmen Sarah Veilleux (34.1 ppg) and Chelsea Woods (32.6) ranked sixth and 11th, respectively, in the nation in scoring as high school seniors last year.
UP NEXT
The Hawks open the home portion of their 2014-15 schedule when they host Big 5 Rival Temple next Tuesday at 7 p.m.
