Saint Joseph's (7-0, 0-0 A-10) vs. Drexel (5-1, 0-0 CAA)
Sunday, December 4 | 2:00 p.m. | Hagan Arena | Philadelphia, Pa.
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Saint Joseph's: Roster | Schedule | Stats | Game Notes
Drexel: Roster | Schedule | Stats | Game Notes
PHILADELPHIA - Saint Joseph's women's basketball meets its third Philly foe on the season on Sunday afternoon, hosting Drexel in a City 6 matchup inside Hagan Arena. The Hawks are 2-0 against Philly teams, Drexel losing its first and only matchup thus far in the campaign.
Saint Joseph's faces its third City 6 rival on Sunday, the two teams combining for a 12-1 record entering the weekend matchup. Two head coaches that populate the Hawk record books meet for the second time, Drexel's Amy Mallon getting the edge in the first meeting.
The Hawks come off of their seventh straight victory, including five inside Hagan Arena, defeating Boston University 65-61 on Thursday evening. In a game where the Hawks shot a season-worst 33.8% from the field, the Crimson and Gray found a way to win. The streak now ties the second-longest in program history to start the season, only the 1984-85 squad (10-0) having a better start.
Brugler paced the Hawks, tying her career-high in points with 23, shooting 50% from the field and a flawless 7-7 from the charity stripe. Katie Jekot hit a milestone only 25 women at SJU have before her, collecting her 1,000th career point in the second quarter of the game, scoring the first seven points for the Hawks in the frame. Three-time A-10 Rookie of the Week Laura Ziegler struggled from the field with just four points, but the freshman tallied a career-high 12 rebounds in the win and a potential game-saving block on the closing possession. Olivia Mullins tallied 11 points, tying her career high reached twice in the 2021-22 season.
Scouting The Dragons
Drexel enter on a four-game winning streak, the only slip up of the season coming to City 6 rivals La Salle in a 77-74 defeat. Home wins against Lehigh and Buffalo before back-to-back road victories against Buffalo and Longwood give the Dragons momentum heading into the weekend matchup.
The Dragons bring a high-powered offense to Hawk Hill, averaging 72.5 points per game on a staggering 46.9% from the field. Drexel assist nearly 19 times a game on an average of 28.2 made baskets per contest.
Drexel has a dangerous duo on their hands, the pair of Keishana Washington and Kylie Lavelle contributing 45.3 of the team's 72.5 points per game. Washington has scored in double-digits in all six starts, three games finishing with 30+ points including a season-high 37 points in 37 minutes against UMES. Lavelle is one of the top freshmen in the city, averaging 18.6 points in her five games played, also scoring in double figures in every game with a career-best 31 points at La Salle. Washington and Maura Hendrixson combined for 76 of the 113 assists, Hendrixson leading the team with 46.
Head coach Amy Mallon makes her return to Hawk Hill after stints as a player and assistant coach. Her 501 points and 304 rebounds in the 1992-93 season ranks 13th and 5th, respectively all-time in program history. Mallon's lone year saw her earn USWBA All-District, Big 5 Player of the Year, Atlantic 10 All-Conference First Team and Big 5 First Team honors. Mallon also spent a stint on the sidelines, helping the Hawks to an Atlantic 10 and Big 5 title after finishing 26-5 in 1996-97.
Start As You Mean To Go On
The Hawks are 7-0 for just the third time in program history after defeating Boston University. SJU has achieved the feat twice under Coach Griffin, the last coming in the 2005-06 season where the Hawks also won the first seven games of the season. The 1984-85 squad hold the best start to the campaign, going 10-0 before dropping its first loss of the year.
Entering Saturday's national schedule, the Hawks are one of just 21 teams to remain undefeated headed into the second month of the campaign, the only A-10 team remaining with an unblemished record.
Winning Ugly
The win against Boston University proved that the Hawks could win in a variety of ways, even when the offense isn't clicking. Despite shooting just 22-65 (33.8%) from the field - by far a season low - Saint Joseph's was able to walk out of Hagan Arena with a 65-61 win against the Terriers. An efficient clip at the line and a defensive effort that held the Terriers under 40% from the field for the sixth time in seven games this season allowed the Hawks to remain unbeaten.
Climbing The Charts
Katie Jekot scored seven straight points for SJU to start the second quarter against Boston University, collecting her 1,001st point with 4:11 remaining. Jekot becomes just the 26th Hawk in program history to eclipse the mark. The Enola, Pa. native has played in 108 career games on Hawk Hill, including 102 starts. The sixth year guard holds a 1.48 assist-to-turnover ratio over her career, her 1,005 points just four shy from cracking the top 25 in scoring (Brittany Ford - 1,009). Jekot also sits just 18 assists away from cracking the top 10 in program history.
Hawks In the Rankings
SJU statistically ranks out well in a variety of categories, helping them get off to a hot start to begin the 2022-23 season.
Free Throw Percentage - 78.2% (4th in A-10, 22nd in NCAA)
Scoring Defense - 56.4 (1st in A-10, 44th in NCAA)
Three Point Percentage - 35.4% (4th in A-10, 50th in NCAA)
Fouls Per Game - 14.9 (3rd in A-10, 52nd in NCAA)
Field Goal Defense Percentage - 36.3% (3rd in A-10, 66th in NCAA)
Wire to Wire
In 280 total minutes of basketball so far in the season, the Hawks have led for a total of 242 minutes and 22 seconds of that time, trailing for just 22:44 minutes. For 86.56% of the season, the Hawks have held a lead. Only 9.38% of the time has Saint Joseph's been trailing in a contest, while tied the remaining 4.04%. SJU has finished a game with the lead for more than 38 minutes on three occasions (Penn, Vanderbilt, North Florida), having never trailed against both the Quakers and the Ospreys.
Jekot Serving Dishes
Katie Jekot remains one of the premier passers in the country entering her final season in the Crimson and Gray. The sixth year guard ranks first in the A-10 in assist-turnover ratio (2.57) and 34th in the country. Her 5.1 assists per game rank 41st in the country.
