DAVIDSON, N.C. – Paced by a combined 32 points from sophomore guard Katie Jekot and junior guard Lula Roig, the Saint Joseph's women's basketball squad snapped a six-game losing skid with a gritty 63-54 road win over Davidson at John M. Belk Arena on Wednesday evening. With their first win since January 22, the Hawks improve to 9-16 overall (3-10 A-10) while the Wildcats fall to 14-12 (7-6 A-10).

Roig scored 11 of her season-high 15 points in the first half as the Hawks came out shooting a blistering 51.7 percent from the field (15-of-29) and held the Wildcats to 1-of-9 from beyond the arc in the opening two quarters.

"I was making shots, and I just wanted to keep it going," said Roig. "When I'm making lay-ups, I feel so much better about myself. The vibe after the game in the locker room was so good. We needed that win."

Jekot then scored 12 of her 19 points in the second half to lead the Crimson and Gray to the victory.

Freshman forward Gabby Smalls pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds while junior guard Mary Sheehan and freshman guard Kaliah Henderson chipped in eight points apiece.

How It Happened
First Half – The Hawks shot the lights out. Saint Joseph's shot 53.8 percent (7-of-13) from the field and held Davidson to 33.3 percent (5-of-15) and 1-of-5 from beyond the arc to take a 14-12 edge by the end of the first quarter; Roig hit six consecutive points (4:45, 3:11, 1:39) in just over three minutes during that span. The Hawks then shot 50.0 percent (8-of-16) from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc and held the Wildcats to 21.4 percent (3-of-14) and scoreless in four tries from three in the second quarter to take an eight-point advantage, 34-26, into the halftime break; Sheehan hit a pair of critical threes just under two minutes apart and Jekot's first three of the night (3:59) would push SJU's lead out to 15 points.
 
Q3 – Davidson closed its deficit to six, 36-30, with 4:33 to go in the third quarter, but sophomore forward Elizabeth Marsicano hit a three at the 4:15 mark to extend SJU's lead back out by nine. However, the Wildcats used the momentum of back-to-back threes to close the quarter on an 8-2 run as the Crimson and Gray held onto just a three-point leading entering the final quarter.
 
Q4 – The Hawks opened the fourth quarter on a 9-0 run to take a 49-40 advantage into the final 5:40; Jekot hit a jumper (9:14) to open the scoring before Henderson (7:28) and Smalls (5:40) combined to go a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Davidson's Cassidy Gould hit a three (5:12) to close the Wildcats to six points, but the Hawks responded as Henderson hit a jumper (4:19) and Jekot drilled her second three of the night (3:06) to see SJU go up by 11 points, 54-43. From that point, despite some key shots by Davidson to stay close, Roig and Jekot combined to go 9-for-11 from the line in the closing 2:17.

Up Next
Saint Joseph's returns home to host George Mason (8-18, 2-11 A-10) this Saturday, February 22. Opening tip is set for 2:00 p.m. at Hagan Arena. Prior to the start of the game, the Saint Joseph's women's basketball program will honor its senior student-athletes - Nailah Delinois and Rachel Gartner - and senior managers - Regan Gallagher and Vilma Fermin - for their dedication to the program.