LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. – The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team tested its mettle in the late stages of the game, finding the final gear to see them past a Rider team that fought tooth and nail on home court. After leading by double-digits in the final quarter, the Hawks scored the last four points to stave off the Broncs in a 60-53 win on Wednesday evening in Alumni Gymnasium.
 
Saint Joseph's (9-0) was able to use a hot start, scoring 22 points in the first quarter en route to an eventual wire-to-wire win to avoid a trap game against a Rider side that falls to 3-5 on the season.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Laura Ziegler opened the scoring for the Hawks with back-to-back possessions before the hosts grabbed a triple.
• An 8-0 run gave the Hawks a 12-3 advantage heading into the media timeout, Olivia Mullins leading the charge with two-straight treys from deep to spark the run. The Hawks extended the run to 14-0 before the Broncs responded with a basket with 1:16 left.
• Baskets on three possessions in a row for the Broncs cut the deficit to 22-9 after the first frame.
• The Hawks started 0-7 in the second quarter, allowing the Broncs on a 7-1 run to climb within single digits at 25-16 at the media timeout. Mackenzie Smith cut the eventual 9-1 Rider run with a tough move to the basket to break eight consecutive misses to open the period.
• Ziegler grabbed her 12^th point of the game with just over 30 seconds left to give the Hawks a 31-20 lead but the Broncs responded immediately, cashing in on a trifecta with seven seconds left. Katie Jekot quickly received the inbounds pass, rushing down the court to find an open Smith in the corner, burying it to give the Crimson and Gray a 34-23 halftime lead.
• The Hawks added to their lead early in the second half, extending as much as 15 points to 40-25 after Jekot's first basket of the night, but the Broncs kept attacking.
• Rider kept SJU scoreless over the course of the final 5:09 of the third quarter, once again cutting the margin down to 45-37 entering the final frame.
• Seemingly to be the theme of the night for the Hawks, the Crimson and Gray were able to jump back out to a double figure lead but the hosts were determined to play spoiler.
• Rider used a 12-3 run late in the fourth quarter to cut the lead to just three points with 1:42 remaining. Coming out of a SJU timeout, Smith took over with yet another strong finish at the rim to put the lead back to two possessions.
• Defense won out for the Hawks, not allowing a Rider point the final 1:42 to walk out with a gritty, tough performance and a 60-53 victory to move them to 9-0 on the year.

GAME NOTES

• Ziegler tallied her first double-double of her career, finishing tied with a team-high 16 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Eight of the 16 points were in the first quarter, while the freshman added two steals, two assists and two blocks in the win.
• Talya Brugler finished with 16 points, four rebounds and tied a career-best with four assists, all four coming in the opening quarter.
• Smith totaled 15 points on just six field goal attempts and a season-best six rebounds on the night.
• The Hawks shoot below 40% (23-58 – 39.7%) for just the second time all season, but turn the ball over just nine times compared to the 20 forced to help claim the win. SJU converted the turnovers to 18 points compared to Rider's six.
• St. Joe's led for 39:45 seconds, never giving up its lead.

 
UP NEXT

• The Hawks turn their attention to city rivals Villanova, who come in ranked 25^th in the country. The 48^th edition of the rivalry is set for a Saturday, December 10 showdown at 2 p.m. at the Pavilion.