Women's Basketball Downs Duquesne In Home Finale, 60-49

Women's Basketball 1/6/2015 11:00:00 AM SJU Athletic Communications

Women's Basketball Travels To George Washington On Wednesday

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team opens the road portion of its Atlantic 10 schedule this Wednesday as theHawks head to George Washington. Game time is set for 7 p.m. at the Charles E. Smith Center.

GAME STORIES . . .
• The Hawks opened Atlantic 10 play on Saturday with a 63-46 victory over VCU.
• With Saturday's win, the Hawks improved to 28-4 all-time in conference opening games.
• Saint Joseph's has posted a 25-6 mark in its first conference road game of the season.
• The Hawks have won four straight A-10 road openers.
• Wednesday's matchup is the 57th between SJU and George Washington.
• The Hawks hold a 30-26 edge in the all-time series, however the Colonials won the previous matchup, 82-79 in overtime in the quarterfinals of the 2014 A-10 Championship at the Richmond Coliseum.
• The Hawks are 15-12 all-time versus the Colonials in Washington, D.C. and have won three straight at the Smith Center.
• Saint Joseph's head coach Cindy Griffin will look for her 300th career win on Wednesday as she enters the day with a 299-207 record over 17 seasons.
• Senior guard Natasha Cloud is averaging 12.3 points and 10.3 assists per game over the last three contests.
• Cloud is currently ninth in the nation in assists per game (6.4) after ranking 39th just three weeks ago on December 21 (5.39 apg)
• The Hawks currently feature four players averaging over 30 minutes per game (Cloud - 36.5; Ciara Andrews - 32.5; Sarah Fairbanks - 33.2; Kathleen Fitzpatrick - 31.2).

Series History - Saint Joseph's vs. George Washington
All-Time Series: SJU Leads 30-26
Last Meeting: 3/7/14, GW, 82-79 OT
Last SJU Win: 1/22/14, 75-69
First SJU Win: 2/7/81, 80-52
Last GW Win: 3/7/14, 82-79 OT
Current SJU Streak: L-1

CLOUD ADDS NAME TO ANOTHER SJU RECORD BOOK
Senior guard Natasha Cloud had already added her name to several times to the SJU record book prior to this season. On Saturday she added her name once again as she tied for 25th all-time in career rebounds with six this past Saturday. She enters Wednesday's game tied at 442 with Ellen Clark '87 and could move up to tie or pass Brittany Ford '10 (453) in the coming week.

ANDREWS SOLID START
Guard Ciara Andrews came into her own as a sophomore, averaging 9.2 points per game and starting 17 contests a season ago. She has brought that momentum into this season as the potent offensive weapon currently leads the Hawks in scoring (13.8 ppg) and has scored in double figures in 10 of 13 games this season.

ROBINSON RETURNS FOR FINAL SEASON
Graduate student Ashley Robinson is making the most of her sixth season at SJU. Missing the first two years (2009-11) due to leg injuries, the 6-foot-2 forward has improved every season. A two-year starter, Robinson averaged a career-best 6.2 points and 5.4 boards per game over 25 games last year, but has surpassed them with a 8.8 points per game and 5.9 rebounds per game average this season.

FITZPATRICK MAKING MOST OF OPPORTUNITY
Serving as a reserve her freshman season, sophomore guard Kathleen Fitzpatrick has thrived this year. Tallying just 39 points as a rookie (2.1 ppg), Fitzpatrick has already surpassed that as she has tallied 131 points over the first 13 games, good for a 10.1 points per game average. She additionally is sixth in the Atlantic 10 three pointers per game (2.4).

FAIRBANKS NEARS ALL-TIME LEADERS IN BLOCKED SHOTS
Junior forward Sarah Fairbanks is nearing the all-time leaders in blocked shots as the 6-foot-1 forward enters Wednesday with 73 career swats. Fairbanks is just four blocks shy of 10th place (77 by Samira van Grinsven '12).

STRODE RETURNS TO LINEUP
After missing 61 straight games dating back to the 2012-13 season due to injury, redshirt sophomore guard Jordan Strode has been a bright spot for the Hawks this year. Appearing in nine games, including a start at Rutgers, Strode is averaging 2.6 points and 1.0 rebounds per game and is coming off a career-best seven points in Saturday's win over VCU.

WOODS MAKING MOST OF STARTING TIME
Starting the past four games, freshman Chelsea Woods has made the most of her opportunity. After playing just 93 minutes (11.7 mpg) and scoring 24 points (3.0 ppg) and 19 rebounds (2.4 rpg) over her first eight games, Woods has come on strong during her four starting roles, tallying 22 points (5.6 ppg) and 28 rebounds 7.0 rpg), while playing 94 minutes (23.5 mpg).

FRANKLYN GARNERS PLAYING TIME
Freshmen Adashia Franklyn has already proven to be a key contributor this season. Appearing in all 13 games, Franklyn is currently second on the team in blocked shots (10) and has led SJU in rebounding twice, including a season-best 11 versus St. Francis Brooklyn. She enters Wednesday leading all newcomers in rebounding at 4.4 boards per game and is adding 3.0 points per contest.

NEW YEAR, NEW RULE
Joining the Hawks as a walk-on last season, guard Mackenzie Rule appeared in four games, tallying two rebounds and an assist in 10 minutes of time. With the new year, Rule's role has expanded as the sophomore has already appeared in eight games, tallying seven rebounds, three assists, three points and averaging 7.9 minutes per game.