The Hawks were predicted to finish 10th in the A-10 this year, according to the
2019-20 A-10 Women's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll conducted by the league's 14 head coaches and announced on October 29, while Duquesne was predicted to finish ninth.
Saint Joseph's leads the all-time series, 44-11, but has dropped five of the last six contests over the last three seasons, including a 58-51 home loss on January 18 of this season and both match-ups last year. In the most recent meeting just a few weeks back, freshman guard
Kaliah Henderson went off for a team-high 14 points and eight rebounds, but with SJU up by two, 49-47, with 3:38 to play, Duquesne tore off on a 9-0 run to take a seven-point advantage into the final 36 seconds of regulation.
Saint Joseph's leads the A-10 and ranks 25th nationally in scoring defense, allowing an average of just 56.0 ppg. The Hawks also lead the A-10 and rank 33rd nationally in three-point defense (27.6).
Last time out, Saint Louis used a 13-2 run to open the third quarter to pull away and hand SJU a 63-48 loss at Saint Louis at Chaifetz Arena on Thursday, February 6. Sophomore forward
Katie Mayock led the Hawks in scoring with 12 points (4-of-6 FG) while junior guard
Lula Roig added seven points and a team-high seven rebounds and sophomore forward
Elizabeth Marsicano drained a career-high nine points on a career-high three three-pointers.
CAREER NIGHT FOR DELINOIS
Senior guard
Nailah Delinois dropped a career-high 14 points in SJU's 56-50 loss to George Washington on Wednesday, January 29. Delinois distributed seven points in each half on 5-of-10 shooting from the field, including a pair of three-pointers, to go with three rebounds and three steals in a career-high 32 minutes of play. It marked the first double-figure scoring game of the senior's career.
BUZZER BEATER MAYOCK
Sophomore forward
Katie Mayock grabbed an offensive rebound and put back the game-winning shot as time expired to send SJU past St. Bonaventure, 61-60, in Atlantic 10 action at the Reilly Center on Wednesday, January 22. The win snapped a four-game losing skid for the Hawks.
ALL-DAY KJ
Sophomore guard
Katie Jekot is the returning leading scorer from last year's squad. Jekot averaged 7.5 points per game in all 31 appearances with 25 starts in 2018-19 and is SJU's returning leader in total steals (36) and three-pointers (42).
This year, the sophomore leads the squad in minutes played (30.9), field goals made (77), three-pointers made (31), and steals (29), ranks second on the squad in scoring (9.9 ppg), and is shooting 86.5 percent (32-of-37) from the free throw line. Jekot turned in her first career double-double with a season-high 20 points and a career-high 11 rebounds – both game-high numbers - in SJU's 71-44 win over Sacred Heart on December 4 and has 12 double-digit scoring games this season.
NOTHING SMALL FROM SMALLS
In her first career start at Auburn on November 24, freshman forward
Gabby Smalls stole the show with a career- and game-high 19 points (9-of-10 FG) and a team-high eight rebounds in 23 minutes of play. Despite the 66-62 loss, Smalls was a bright spot in the highly-competitive match-up.
In her second career start, at VCU on January 8, Smalls scored a team-high 14 points, with 10 coming in the fourth quarter, on 5-of-7 shooting from the field to go with six rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block in 22 minutes.
Smalls leads the squad in field goal percentage (53.8 percent on 63-for-117 shooting) and ranks second in rebounds per game (5.3 on 116 total boards)
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