PHILADELPHIA – Sophomore guard
Katie Jekot closed the Hawks' deficit to three, 53-50, with 59 seconds remaining in regulation, but the Explorers pulled away to hand the Saint Joseph's women's basketball squad a 59-53 loss in Hagan Arena on Saturday afternoon. With the conference loss, the Hawks fall to 8-16 (2-10 A-10) while the Explorers improve to 11-14 (5-7 A-10).
Freshman forward
Gabby Smalls dropped 17 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and a 7-of-10 showing from the stripe to go with six rebounds, one assist, one block, and one steal in 21 minutes off the bench.
"Gabby has been [bringing the energy] all year," said head coach
Cindy Griffin following the game. "The one thing we're trying to get with Gabby is consistency, and as a freshman, that's hard. She certainly showed up today and gave us that energy. The players gave her the ball where she needed to have the ball, and her offensive rebounding and her effort on the boards was terrific."
How It Happened
First Half – The Explorers scored seven of the game's first nine points to take a 7-2 advantage by the 6:16 mark, but the Hawks went on a 7-3 run of their own to close the deficit to four points, 13-9, at the end of the first; sophomore forward
Elizabeth Marsicano hit a three to start the run (5:58) and freshman guard
Kaliah Henderson hit for back-to-back points (5:02, 2:46). Paced by 10 points from Smalls, the Hawks put up 17 in the second quarter, but the Explorers shot 46.7 percent (7-of-15) from the field to extend their lead to eight points, 34-26, by the halftime break.
Second Half – Trailing 42-33 with 3:36 remaining in the third quarter, junior guard
Mary Sheehan hit a three (2:57) to initiate a 7-2 run that saw the Hawks cut their deficit to four points, 44-40, heading into the final 10:00. Following a steal by Henderson with six seconds to go, Sheehan hit a jumper at the buzzer to cap the run. Sophomore guard
Katie Jekot hit a jumper in the paint to open the fourth quarter (8:53) to bring SJU to within two, 44-42, but La Salle would keep the Hawks away until Jekot's lay-up to close to three with 59 ticks to go. Out of a 30-second SJU timeout, La Salle scored, and SJU was unable to answer on its ensuing offensive possession. The Explorers scored again to go up by seven, 57-50, with 12 seconds to go, and Marsicano hit a deep three two seconds later to keep the Hawks within reach, but time would run out on the Crimson and Gray.
Behind the Boxscore
• The Hawks wore pink jerseys as part of their #Play4Kay game, which raises awareness for breast cancer.
• Jekot recorded her 14th double-figure scoring game of the season with 12 points and added a team-high four assists and three steals in 32 minutes.
• Junior point guard
Lula Roig pulled down a game-high eight rebounds to lead the Hawks in winning the rebounding battle, 40-28.
Up Next
The Hawks return to the road to face Davidson (13-11, 6-5 A-10) this Wednesday, February 19. Opening tip at John M. Belk Arena in Davidson, N.C. is set for 7:00 p.m. The Wildcats will host Fordham tomorrow before welcoming the Hawks.
