Temple (1-3, 0-0 AAC) at Saint Joseph's (4-0, 0-0 A-10)
Wednesday, November 23 | 5 p.m. ET | Hagan Arena | Philadelphia, Pa.
NBCSports Philadelphia | Live Stats | Tickets

 
GAMEDAY LINKS
Saint Joseph's: Roster | Schedule | Stats | Game Notes
Temple: Roster | Schedule | Stats | 

PHILADELPHIA - Saint Joseph's women's basketball (1-0) takes on its second Philadelphia Big 5 opponent of the season on Wednesday evening inside Hagan Arena, hosting Temple (0-1) in a 5 p.m. matchup.

Pat McCarthy and Renie Shields will be on the broadcast on NBCSports Philadelphia/ESPN+. The game can be watched on channel 846 on Comcast/Xfinity platforms. Additionally, you can also access the game through NBC Sports Philadelphia+ on the NBC Sports app, but must already be a customer of one of the providers.

The Hawks enter the matchup with an overall record of 46-37 against the Owls, including a 24-17 advantage on home soil against the Philly rival. While Temple has held the better part of the advantage in the 21st century, SJU enters Wednesday's contest with two wins in the last two games.

Saint Joseph's enters Wednesday's Big 5 showdown 4-0 for the third time under the Cindy Griffin era and for the eighth time in program history. The Hawks took down Vanderbilt on the road in the first road trip of the season 67-59, tallying the first win over a Power 5 and SEC program since defeating Georgia in the NCAA Tournament in the 2013-14 season.

The Hawks will host the Owls for the fourth home game in five to start the season. Diane Richardson enters her first season on the Temple sidelines, starting 1-3 on the season after a narrow loss to Big 5 rivals Villanova on Sunday. The Owls average 63 points per game on 38% from the field, having struggled on the glass in the opening four games (-7.8 rebound margin) Aleah Nelson leads the squad with 14.8 points per game, also leading the team with 24 assists.Tiarra East adds 12.0 points and a team-high 7.0 boards per game. Tarriyonna Gary also adds double figures with 11.8 points, Jasha Clinton with 9.3 of her own. Gary (23) and Nelson (20) combined for 43 points against the Wildcats.

Jekot dropped a career-high 25p/5a/6s in the last outing with the Owls, while Clinton posted 24 points, five assists and four steals for Temple.

Anchored Down
The Hawks went into SEC territory for the first road trip of the season, defeating Vanderbilt 67-59 on Sunday. The win over the Commodores was just the second over the Nashville side, having lost three -straight following the series opening win in the 1988-89 season. The victory also proved to be the first over a Power 5 and SEC team since 2013-14, when the Hawks defeated Georgia 67-57 in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.

Follow the Hot Hand
Early against the Commodores, it was Mackenzie Smith that punished Vandy in the win. The sophomore grabbed eight of her 12 points in the first quarter, while Laura Ziegler also added six points in the opening frame. Talya Brugler followed suit in the second quarter, scoring six of her 11 points, Smith adding four more. Katie Jekot scored or assisted on six of the seven made baskets in the fourth quarter, scoring 14 of her game-high 17 points in the final 20 minutes. 

Shutting It Down
The Hawks come into the contest with Temple having yet to concede more than 60 points in a game on the season. The stalwart defense averages just 53 points per game, which ranks first within the Atlantic 10 conference and 39th in all of the NCAA.

Jekot Serving Dishes
Coming back for her sixth year on Hawk Hill, Katie Jekot remains one of the premier passers in the conference and country. Jekot ranks in the upper echelon in the NCAA in three different categories. Holding a 3.29 assist-turnover ration, Jekot sits at 44th in the country, while her 23 assists are 52nd overall, an average of 5.0 per game putting her at 30th.

Doubling Down
Laura Ziegler has now earned two Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honors in as many weeks to start the season, starting strong in her freshman season on Hawk Hill. Ziegler posted 16 points in her collegiate debut, adding a team-high seven rebounds in the win over Bucknell. Over the last two games, the rookie averaged 12.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. Ziegler tallied 11 points and eight rebounds in her first Big 5 matchup against Penn, following suit with a near double-double against SEC side Vanderbilt, knocking down 14 points and securing nine rebounds, adding two blocks and two assists.

Leading by Example
Katie Jekot returns for her sixth year of collegiate basketball, providing veteran leadership for the Hawks. The Enola, Pa. native has played in 105 career games on Hawk Hill, including 99 starts. The sixth year guard holds a 1.48 assist-to-turnover ratio over her career, her 973 points just 27 from hitting the 1,000 mark. Jekot also sits just 33 assists away from cracking the top 10 in program history.

Straight Out the Gates
The Hawks are 4-0 for just the eighth time in program history after defeating Vanderbilt. SJU has achieved the feat three times under Coach Griffin the last coming in 2017-18 where the Hawks won five straight to start the season. Saint Joseph's 2005-06 squad won the first seven games to start its season.
Only 54 teams in the country enter the week undefeated, the Hawks entering Wednesday's contest on top of the A-10 standings as they remain the only unbeaten team in the conference after Duquesne fell to Pitt over the weekend.