Penn (1-1, 0-0 Ivy League) at Saint Joseph's (2-0, 0-0 A-10)
Tuesday, November 15 | 7 p.m. | Hagan Arena
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PHILADELPHIA - Saint Joseph's women's basketball meets its first Big 5 foe in the 2022-23 season, facing Penn (1-1) in a Tuesday matchup inside Hagan Arena.
Saint Joseph's enters Tuesday's matchup 2-0 for the third time in the last four seasons after defeating Yale on Friday, 59-54. The Hawks cruised to a nine-point halftime lead before the Bulldogs were able to make things interesting in the stretch, but defense and clutch shooting in the fourth quarter saw the second straight Hawk victory.
Coach Griffin tallied her 400th career win against Yale, 352 of them on the sidelines with the Crimson and Gray. Brugler led the scoring for the Hawks, adding 16 points and five rebounds. Smith recorded 12 points, while Mullins and Jekot also finished with double-figures.
Penn comes off a narrow loss to Big Ten foe Northwestern on Sunday, making the quick turnaround from Chicago back to Philadelphia. The matchup will be the first Big 5 game of the year for both squads. Kayla Padilla leads Penn with 25.5 points per game while averaging 39 minutes per game. Mandy McGurk averages in double-digits with 12.5 ppg, Floor Toonders securing a team-best 8.5 rebounds per game.
Making Some Early Noise
Laura Ziegler eaned Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors in her first two games on Hawk Hill to start her freshman season. 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. Ziegler added a team-best eight rebounds in the win over Yale, averaging 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in her first week as a Hawk.
Make Way for the RotY
Reigning Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year Talya Brugler had a quiet night in her season debut, finding early foul trouble that kept her off the floor. However, in limited action, the sophomore scored six points, grabbed four rebounds and dished two assists. The second year forward burst onto the scene against Yale, scoring a team-high 16 points while adding five rebounds and three steals.
Preseason Projections
Entering the season picked sixth in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll, the Hawks have shown early signs of cementing reason to believe they'll be a team capable of fighting for postseason success. Entering the matchup with Penn 2-0, the Hawks are just one of two teams early in the year that remain unbeaten.
