Women's Basketball 2/14/2015 12:00:00 PM SJU Athletic Communications

Women's Basketball Heads To Dayton For Televised Game Sunday

DAYTON, Ohio - The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team caps a two game road swing this Sunday when the Hawks head to Dayton. The game, set for a noon start, will be televised nationally on the CBS Sports Network.

GAME STORIES . . .

• The Hawks are coming off a 63-61 overtime loss at Rhode Island on Wednesday.

• Sophomore Kathleen Fitzpatrick had a career-high 25 points and added four steals, four rebounds and three assists versus the Rams.

• The Hawks are looking to snap a two-game losing skid after dropping heart-breaking losses to Fordham (L, 48-47) and Rhode Island (L, 63-61 OT).

• Saint Joseph's enters Sunday with a 13-12 edge in the all-time series versus Dayton.

• The Flyers have won two straight over the Hawks, including an 82-56 victory in the last meeting on February 23, 2014.

• Saint Joseph's is 4-7 all-time versus the Flyers in Dayton and have lost six straight at UD Arena by an average of 13.2 points per game.

• Senior guard Natasha Cloud is averaging 8.75 assists per game over the past four games and is averaging 7.1 assists per contest in Atlantic 10 only contests.

• Graduate student Ashley Robinson has averaged 10.3 points and 7.0 rebounds per game in conference only contests.

• The Hawks' seven A-10 losses this year are their most since 2008-09 when they went 5-9 on the conference and finished tied for 10th.

• Sunday marks the third CBS Sports Network televised game Saint Joseph's will have appeared on this season. The Hawks went 0-2 in their first two games, falling at Fordham (L, 57-47) and Duquesne (63-54).

Series History - Saint Joseph's vs. Dayton
All-Time Series: SJU Leads 13-12
Last Meeting: 2/23/14, UD, 82-56
Last SJU Win: 1/26/14, 75-63
Last Dayton Win: 2/23/14, 82-56
Current SJU Streak: L-1

THE FASTBREAK
• Sunday is the final true road contest for the Hawks as their last away game is set for March 1 at city rival La Salle.
• As a team, SJU has turned the ball over just 25 times the last three games (8.3 per contest) and are averaging an A-10 best 12.2 turnovers a game in conference only matchups.
• Saint Joseph's defense is allowing fewer points per game this season (62.7 ppg) than it did last year (64.4 ppg).

SJU EANRS SHARE OF PHILADELPHIA BIG 5 TITLE
• Saint Joseph's earned a share of this year's Philadelphia Big 5 championship along with Penn and Villanova as all three squads went 3-1 in City Series play. The Hawks, who clinched a share with a 70-64 win over La Salle, have won 17th Philadelphia Big 5 titles.

INJURY BUG HITS HAWKS
The Hawks have struggled with injuries this season as SJU has not had its entire lineup available to play. The Hawks had a season-high 11 players suited up versus Drexel, while they have been limited to just eight healthy players on five occasions (Notre Dame, Quinnipiac, CSUN, George Washington and Massachusetts). Additionally, the Hawks have used six different starting lineups to date this year.

CLOUD NAMED TO NAISMITH AND LIEBERMAN WATCH LISTS
Senior guard Natasha Cloud has been recognized as one of the top players in the nation as she was named to the Naismith Trophy Women's Basketball 50 Watch List. Proving to be one of the best point guards in the nation the past few seasons, the Broomall, Pennsylvania, native has picked up where she left off a season ago, ranking 12th nationally is assists (6.5 apg), while pacing the Hawk guards with a 6.0 rebounds a game. Starting all 22 games, the A-10 Preseason First Team and A-10 All-Defensive Team honoree also leads SJU in steals (45) and ranks second on the team in scoring at 12.2 points per game.

SJU LOOKS FOR BENCH HELP
Despite having four players that are scoring in double figures, the Hawks are still looking for a consistant scoring option off the bench. Saint Joseph's enters Sunday getting just 15.6 percent of its scoring off the bench as the reserves have scored only 215 points (9.4 ppg) to date. Versus the Rhode Island, the Hawks got just four points from its bench, but it was more than the Rams' two points.

A DISTANCE MEMORY
A season ago, Saint Joseph's finished among the Atlantic 10 leaders in three-pointers per game (5.0) and percentage (.353). This year, Saint Joseph's has struggled to find the same consistency as they enter Sunday's game last in the A-10 in three-pointer per game (3.6) and seventh in three-point percentage (.312).

REBOUNDING RECORDS
Saint Joseph's senior guard Natasha Cloud and graduate forward Ashley Robinson continue to climb SJU's record book for career rebounds. Cloud is currently 18th all-time in rebounds with 501, while Robinson is just behind her in 21st place with 468.

HISTORIC ASSISTANCE
Already holding the single-season record for helps with 243 last season, senior guard Natasha Cloud enters Sunday third all-time in career assists at SJU with 536. Averaging 6.16 assits per game over her 117 career games between Hawk Hill and Maryland, the Broomall, Pennsylvania, native trails only Iowa's Samantha Logic (6.38) for the lead in asissts per game among active Division I players.

POINTLESS IN THE PAINT
Saint Joseph's has seen a discrepency this year in its interior scoring between wins and losses. In victories, SJU is outscoring opponents by 7.3 points (30.8 to 23.7), but in losses the Hawks are being outscored by 12.0 points ( 33.1 to 21.1).

GRIFFIN SETS CAREER WINS RECORD
With her team's 58-54 win over Villanova on December 7, Saint Joseph's head coach Cindy Griffin became the all-time leader in wins at Hawk Hill. With the victory, Griffin collected her 249th win with the Hawks, passing the previous mark of 248 set by Women's Basketball Hall of Famer Jim Foster. Over 14 seasons, Griffin has posted a 254-181 record at Saint Joseph's.

FAIRBANKS AMONG TOP SHOT BLOCKERS IN SJU HISTORY
With a pair of blocked shots at Rhode Island, junior forward Sarah Fairbanks moved into a tie for sixth place all-time in blocked shots at SJU with 80. She enters Sunday tied with Kim Foley '89 and 12 behind Erica Pollock '07 in fifth place with 92.

ANDREWS SOLID SEASON
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 (12.3 ppg) and has scored in double figures in 15 of 22 games this season.

OFFENSIVE PUNCH LOST TO GRADUATION
With the departures of seniors Erin Shields, Ilze Gotfrida and Kelsey Berger to graduation, 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 scored 966 points of the team's 2,358 and totaling 124 of the team's 166 three-point field goals (74.7 percent). Additionally, this season, Saint Joseph's is averaging 60.1 points per game, down 10.4 points from last year's average (71.5).

WOODS MAKING MOST OF PLAYING TIME
Freshman Chelsea Woods has made the most of her opportunity as the season has gone on. After playing just 93 minutes (11.7 mpg) and adding 24 points (3.0 ppg) and 19 rebounds (2.4 rpg) over her first eight games, Woods has come on strong during her last 14, tallying 52 points (3.7 ppg) and 83 rebounds (5.9 rpg), while playing 262 minutes (18.7 mpg).

FRANKLYN GARNERS MINUTES
Freshmen Adashia Franklyn has already proven to be a key contributor this season. Appearing in all 23 games, Franklyn currently leads the team in blocked shots (26) and has led SJU in rebounding three times, including a season-best 11 versus St. Francis Brooklyn. She enters Sunday tied for the second among newcomers in rebounding (4.5 rpg) and scoring (3.1 ppg).

FITZPATRICK'S KEEN EYE FROM DISTANCE GROWS
Serving as a reserve last season, guard Kathleen Fitzpatrick has thrived this year. Tallying 39 points as a rookie (2.1 ppg), Fitzpatrick has already surpassed that as she has tallied 225 points over the first 22 games, good for a 9.8 points per game average. She additionally is tied for seventh in the Atlantic 10 three pointers per game (2.3).

LOGGING TIME
The Hawks currently feature five players averaging over 29 minutes per game. Graduate student Ashley Robinson (29.2 mpg), senior Natahsa Cloud (37.7 mpg), juniors Ciara Andrews (32.3 mpg) and Sarah Fairbanks (31.6 mpg) and sophomore Kathleen Fitzpatrick (30.4 mpg) have accounted for 74.8 percent of the team's minutes (3,496 of 4,675) so far this season. Additionally, Cloud has missed only 22 minutes of game time in the past 15 contests as she has played 583 of a possible 605 minutes.

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 14 games, including starts versus Rutgers and Massachusetts, Strode is averaging 2.7 points and 1.8 rebounds per game and had a career-best nine points versus St. Bonaventure.

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 8.9 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game average this season.