Saint Joseph's (14-2, 4-0 A-10) at Massachusetts (12-4, 2-1 A-10)
Saturday, January 14 | 2:00 p.m. | Mullins Center | Amherst, Mass.
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GAMEDAY LINKS
Saint Joseph's: Roster | Schedule | Stats | Game Notes
Massachusetts: Roster | Schedule | Stats | 

AMHERST, Mass. - The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team is set to face off against preseason Atlantic 10 favorites Massachusetts, The Hawks travel to the Northeast to take on the Minutewomen in the Mullins Center, a Saturday afternoon, 2 p.m. tip set for ESPN+.

A rematch of last year's A-10 semifinal matchup, the Hawks take an unblemished record in conference into the game, looking to avenge last season's loss. A historical advantage in the series, the Hawks have dropped the last three to the Minutewomen as they look to right the ship.

For the fifth time under head coach Cindy Griffin, the Hawks have started the Atlantic 10 season at 4-0. In back-to-back games, the Hawk defense has clamped down on opponents, allowing under 30% from the field against both Loyola Chicago and Saint Louis. The two lowest scoring marks by an opponent came in the last two games for SJU.

Mackenzie Smith shook off her off night against the Billikens, leading the team with a game-high 15 points against the Ramblers. Laura Ziegler posted her second double-double in three games, her third of her career. The five-time A-10 Rookie of the Week tallied 10 points and 10 rebounds against Loyola Chicago. Talya Brugler's run of scoring 10+ points continues, now entering her 10th straight game after securing 11 points for St. Joe's. No Rambler scored more than seven points in the defeat against Saint Joseph's.

Scouting The Minutewomen
Massachusetts and Saint Joseph's play two opposite styles, the Saturday hosts scoring almost at will to average 76.4 points per game - 39th best mark in the country. Primarily an inside team, the Minutewomen shoot more than 44% from the field while just hitting 31% of efforts from deep. Massachusetts averages nearly six more rebounds per game than opponents, doing a good job at cleaning efforts off the glass. Very good at holding possession and forcing turnovers, Massachusetts ranks top of the A-10 in assists (18.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (1.18), 15th and 27th best marks in the NCAA.

There's offense wherever you want to find it for Massachusetts, led by the vetaran Sam Breen's 18.3 points. Breen has nearly recorded 60 assists on the year as well, leading the Minutewomen on the glass with 9.9 rebounds as the grad forward has a variety of ways to hurt opponents. Sydney Taylor joins a group of five scorers in double figures, adding 16.1 points per game. Both Destiney Philoxy (80) and Ber'Nyah Mayo lead the team in assists (70), scoring 12.3 and 11.8 points per game, respectively. Makennah White closes out the group in double figures with a solid 11.1 points and 6.5 rebounds of her own.

Assist Queen
With her 11 assists, Katie Jekot entered into the top 10 all-time in St. Joe's history in assists, entering the game at La Salle needing just eight to surpass Erin Shields (2010-14). Jekot has had a knack for dishing dimes against the Explorers, her two highest tallies being 12 against La Salle at home in the 2021-22 season and her 11 on New Year's Eve in Tom Gola Arena. Jekot is just the third Hawk in program history to record 1,000 points and 350 assists.

Defensive Clinic
The Hawk defense has been a sight to behold over the past three games, holding all three teams under 40% from the field, including two teams under 30%. Over the last three games, the Hawks have allowed opponents just 55 made baskets on 188 attempts - 29.2%.

Against the Ramblers, the Hawks allowed just 36 points - a season low. The 36 points is the fewest points scored by an opponent since George Washington's 34 last season (February 20, 2022), the 14th time the Hawks held an opponent to under 40 points since 2009-10.

Lining Up
One of the premier free throw shooting teams in the country, the Hawks rank 15th in the nation in free throw percentage (78.3%). The Crimson and Gray are led by Mackenzie Smith (68) and Talya Brugler (60), who rank first and second respectively in the A-10 in both free throws made. Both rank in the top 10 in A-10 in free throw percentage, led by Brugler's 85.7% - good for second in conference.

All Gas, No Brakes
The Hawks started the season 9-0, just the second time the Crimson and Gray achieved the feat in program history. The undefeated start gave the Hawks the best start to the season under head coach Cindy Griffin, a 7-0 start in the 2005-06 season the previous best. Only one team (1984-85) had a better undefeated start, winning its first 10 games before the first loss.

The Hawks are now 14-2 on the season for the first time since 2001-02, the only other time a team in Cindy Griffin's tenure as head coach to achieve that feat. A win against Massachusetts would set a new benchmark for the Griffin era.

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 (2.65) and 11th in the country. Her 5.3 assists per game rank 24th in the country. Jekot assists on 35.2% of made baskets for the Hawks, ranking 28th in the country.