Saint Joseph's (14-5, 4-3 A-10) vs. St. Bonaventure (4-18, 1-6 A-10)
Wednesday, January 25 | 7:00 p.m. | Hagan Arena | Philadelphia, Pa.
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Saint Joseph's: Roster | Schedule | Stats | Game Notes
St. Bonaventure: Roster | Schedule | Stats | Game Notes
PHILADELPHIA - The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team looks to snap a three-game losing streak, hosting St. Bonaventure inside Hagan Arena on Wednesday night.
The Hawks look to rid the only losing streak of the season, currently on a three-game skid after defeats to three of the top four teams in the current A-10 standings.
The Bonnies are near fresh off the first conference win of the season, defeating Dayton on a game-winner nearly a week ago. On the weekend, St. Bonaventure fell to league-leading Rhode Island at home. St. Bonanventure stays in the City of Brotherly Love through the week, facing La Salle on the weekend.
After trailing by as many as 23 in the second quarter against Fordham, the Hawks battled back to make a game out of Sunday's matchup. The Crimson and Gray scored the final 15 points of the third quarter to narrow the margin to four points, but the Rams were able to stave off a comeback to remember as the Hawks saw the third-straight loss of the season in 71-65 fashion.
Talya Brugler finished with a team-high 20 points against Fordham, tallying her 13th-straight game with double-digit scoring while posting nine rebounds. Olivia Mullins recorded a career-best 16 points in the defeat, shooting 6-11 from the field and 2-3 from deep. Mullins has now recorded four games with double figures. Mackenzie Smith returned to her best self, shaking off a poor start from the field in the first 20 minutes to tally 17 points, five rebounds and four steals. Laura Ziegler neared double-double territory, finishing the game with eight points and nine rebounds.
Scouting The Bonnies
The Bonnies come in having struggled offensively on the season, scoring only 50.7 points that ranks them 343rd in the country. St. Bonaventure also sits last in the conference on the glass, opponents holding a 9.6 advantage in rebounds. The field goal defense does rank in the upper third of teams in the country, allowing opponents to just 38.9% from the floor. SBU tallies 4.1 blocks a game, 65th best in the country.
I'yanna Lops ranks ninth among the collegiate world in blocks this season, her 48 on the year good for second in the A-10. Lops also leads the Bonnies in scoring with 11.3 points per game and 5.5 rebounds per game. Nadechka Laccen adds 8.3 points per contest, tallying a team-high 66 assists and 26 steals on the season. Maddie Dziezgowski proves the biggest threat from range, knocking down 37.3% of her attempts from distance to add 7.9 points per night.
Locked in Liv
Ramping up production at the start of Atlantic 10 play, Olivia Mullins has been elite from the three-point line. In seven conference games, Mullins is 13-26 (50%) from the three, recording a career-high four triples twice. Her field goal percentage also rose to 42.2% in A-10 play, up seven points from her season average. Liv has tallied four games in double-digits in the Atlantic 10, including a career-high 16 points against Fordham.
The Great Dane
Laura Ziegler has tallied three double-doubles so far this year, leading the team. She is one of just five Hawks to average 11 points and seven rebounds per game over the last 13 seasons, the only freshman to do so. Ziegler leads the team in rebounds (7.9) and is third on the team in points (11.1). Ziegler also has more than double the blocks (24) than any other player on the roster, the rest of the team with just 31 blocks combined.
In four consecutive games, Ziegler has tallied multiple blocks in a game. In A-10 play, Ziegler has bumped her average to 12.6 points, 8.1 rebounds, 1.3 blocks and 1.0 steals per game. The eight points against Fordham was the only time in conference play that Ziegler failed to record double figures.
Smith's Superlatives
Smith's 12.9 points ranks second on the team, holding two of the six highest scoring individual games of the year. Smith has been elite in getting to the foul line, ranking at the top of the conference in both attempts (95) and makes (75). Mackenzie's 13 games in double figures already surpasses her benchmark set last year, needing 14 fewer games to equal the mark. Earlier this season, Mackenzie Smith set a career-high with a 31 point outburst against James Madison - the first time since Chelsea Woods in February 2018 a Hawk dropped 30+ points.
Brugler's Best
The reigning Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year applies her trade in Hawk Hill, and in 2022-23 the local product has stepped up production even more. Talya Brugler enters the matchup averaging 15.7 points per game to lead the Hawks, adding 5.5 rebounds per contest. Brugler has scored in double figures in 13 consecutive games, leading the Hawks with 17 games with 10+ points. Brugler has posted five games of 20+ points, highlighted by a 27-point career effort against Wright St. Brugler is second behind smith in both free throws made (72) and free throws attempted (86).
Lining Up
One of the premier free throw shooting teams in the country, the Hawks rank 10th in the nation in free throw percentage (78.3%). The Crimson and Gray are led by Mackenzie Smith (75) and Talya Brugler (72), who rank first and second respectively in the A-10 in free throws made. Both rank in the top 10 in A-10 in free throw percentage, led by Brugler's 83.7% - good for fourth in conference.
Mullins Stepping Up
Olivia Mullins has seen a developed role in her third year on Hawk Hill, starting in every contest on the year. The junior guard also was vital in replacing Katie Jekot for three games this year, averaging 10.7 points, 4.7 assists and 4.0 rebounds in Jekot's absence.
The Somerset, N.J. native has recorded six games with double-digit scoring in the last nine contests. Previously, Mullins had just five games with 10+ points in her opening 52 games of her career. Mullins has more than doubled her scoring average from last year from 4.4 ppg to 9.5 ppg.
