Yale (0-1, 0-0 Ivy League) at Saint Joseph's (1-0, 0-0 A-10)
Friday, November 11 | 7 p.m. | Hagan Arena
ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets
GAMEDAY LINKS
Saint Joseph's: Roster | Schedule | Stats | Game Notes
Yale: Roster | Schedule | Stats | Preview
PHILADELPHIA – Saint Joseph's women's basketball takes the court inside Hagan Arena on Friday evening, set for a clash with Yale after a home-opening win against Bucknell.
Saint Joseph's comes off a season opening victory inside Hagan Arena, defeating Bucknell 66-49 after a second-half surge. The Hawks outscored the Bison 41-29 in the second half, Ziegler and Smith combining for 20 of the 22 third quarter points for SJU. The win marks the fourth straight season in which the Hawks began the home campaign with a victory and the 17th total under the direction of Coach Griffin. Smith led all scorers with 19 points, Ziegler adding 16 points and seven boards. Nyström added 10 points.
Yale is welcomed to Philadelphia after facing an Atlantic 10 foe in Fordham in its opener, falling 80-67 to the Rams. Elles van der Maas played 39 minutes, sharing a team-high 15 points and seven rebounds with Mackenzie Egger, who came off the bench to give the Bulldogs a spark. Four players scored double-digits in the opener, Jenna Clark and Avery Lee adding 12 and 10 points, respectively. Clark registered a double-double as the junior guard dished out 10 assists in the loss.
Danish Delight
Laura Ziegler had quite the showing in the freshman's collegiate debut, posting 16 points and a team-high seven rebounds in the win over Bucknell. The Dane knocked down all four of her free throw attempts, shooting 6-14 (42.9%) from the field. Ziegler also tallied three steals in the win, playing 33 minutes.
Return of the Mack
After making the Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team a season ago, Mackenzie Smith showed early the continued development in her game. The Canadian sophomore dropped 19 points on opening night, a game-high. Smith did it in efficient manner, going 6-10 from the field, 2-2 from behind the arc and 5-5 from the line.
Salute to the Swede
Julia Nyström made a noticeable difference as sixth man against the Bison, recording 10 points off the bench. It is just the fifth time in her career scoring in double figures. Nyström did it on both ends, finishing with a game-best +29 in the +/-. 12 of the team's 13 assists came with the Swede on the court.
Preseason Projections
Coming off a season in which the Hawks found a late surge heading into the postseason, Saint Joseph's enter the 2022-23 season sixth in the preseason poll. The projection is the highest for the Hawks since picked to finish fifth in the 2018-19 season. Massachusetts tops the Atlantic 10 rankings with all 15 head coaches tabbing the Minutewomen as the favorites. Yale enters the matchup picked preseason to finish third in the Ivy League, behind Princeton and Columbia.
