Saint Joseph's (15-6, 5-4 A-10) at Rhode Island (17-3, 8-0 A-10)
Wednesday, February 1 | 6:00 p.m. | Ryan Center | Kingston, R.I.
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KINGSTON, R.I. - The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team look to bounce back to winning ways on Wednesday evening, the league leading Rhode Island Rams hosting the Hawks in a midweek Atlantic 10 clash.
SJU heads to Rhode Island on the back of one of the best games of the Atlantic 10 campaign, falling short in a 94-90 overtime defeat to Richmond on the weekend. Trailing by as many as 10 in the second half, the Hawks used a fourth quarter rally to eventually tie the game before the teams traded baskets back and forth. Trailing by four with a minute to play, Mackenzie Smith grabbed two baskets on as many possessions before the Hawk defense pestered the Spiders into not getting a good look on the final possession, forcing overtime. Despite opening with the first four points, the Hawks suffered an 8-0 run at the hands of Richmond and played catchup through the remainder of the extra period. The Spiders knocked down 11-13 of their free throws in overtime to help secure the win.
Only twice since 1978-79 have the Hawks tallied back-to-back games with 90+ points, the 1977-78 team scoring 90+ in four-straight games. Mackenzie Smith showed why she can be one of the most prolific scorers in the league, scoring a career-high 38 points on 25 attempts from the field. Starting 4-12 from the field in the first half, Smith made 11-13 attempts from the field in the second half/overtime, including 17 of the last 21 points for the Hawks. Her 38 points tied for fourth-most all time in a game in SJU history, four points shy of Dale Hodges' record of 42 in a game. Laura Ziegler grabbed her fourth double-double of the season, finishing with 13 points and a career-best 14 rebounds. The rookie flirted with triple-double territory, recording all six of her assists in the first half while already tallying 10 boards.
Scouting The Rams
It is easy to see why the Rams enter the contest at 17-3 and undefeated in Atlantic 10 play, holding the best scoring margin in the A-10 and 33rd best in the country by defeating opponents by an average of 13.5 points per night. The scoring defense ranks 28th in the country, allowing just 56.0 points per game. The Rams are one of the country's most elite shooting teams from distance, knocking down 36.9% of attempts from three - 18th best mark in NCAA. Rhody also dominates on the glass, posting a +8.4 advantage on the boards to rank 19th in the land.
Six players for the Rams average at least 7.9 points per game, getting it done by committee. Leading the team, Mayé Touré leads Rhody with 13.9 points and 8.2 rebounds per game. Madison Hattix-Covington also records double figures with 10.2 points per night. The trio of Dolly Cairns, Sophie Phillips and Sayawni Lassiter combine for nearly 25 points a night, all three of them shooting above 37% from distance. Lassiter also spearheads the offense, dishing out more than five assists a game while leading the team with 41 steals.
Last Time Vs. URI
The seventh-seeded Saint Joseph's Hawks stunned second-seeded Rhode Island in the Atlantic 10 Championship Quarterfinals, 51-48. The win marked head coach Cindy Griffin's 350th win at SJU and the first time the Hawks made the Atlantic 10 Championship Semifinals since 2017-18. The Rams entered the halftime break with a four-point advantage, but SJU stormed out to a 10-2 run to open the third to establish an advantage that would never be eclipsed. Leading by as many as eight, the Crimson and Gray were able to stave off any comeback from the Rams to advance to the next round. The Hawks shot nearly 50% from the field in the game, assisting on 19 of the 21 made baskets in the win. Freshmen made up 42 of the 51 points in the win.
Super Smith
Mackenzie Smith showed why she may be one of the most elite scorers in the A-10 on her day against Richmond, posting a new career-mark of 38 points in the overtime defeat. Starting just 4-12 in the first half, the sophomore took over in the final 25 minutes, shooting 11-13 from the field over the second half and overtime period. Smith scored 17 of the last 21 points for the Hawks, including 12 of the 14 points in overtime en route to the joint-fourth highest scoring game in program history - four shy of Dale Hodges' record of 42 points. Smith joins one of just six Hawks to have posted a 35-point game. Smith set a career-high earlier in the season, becoming the first Hawk since the 2017-18 campaign to drop 30+ in a game with 31 points against James Madison.
The performance helped earn Mackenzie Smith her first Big 5 weekly accolade, collecting Philly Big 5 Player of the Week honors. With 15 points and seven rebounds against St. Bonaventure earlier in the week, the Shelburne, Nova Scotia native averaged 26.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in the two-game span, shooting over 60% from the field.
Scoring At Will
The Hawks are coming off back-to-back 90-point performances after last week's matchups against St. Bonaventure and Richmond. Only twice since the 1978-79 season have the Crimson and Gray scored 90+ points in back-to-back games.
SJU fell in heartbreak fashion on the weekend, suffering a 94-90 overtime defeat to Richmond on the road. Trailing by as many as 10 in the fourth quarter, the Hawks chipped away at the lead to force extra time. Despite shooting 47.8% from the field, the Hawks fell to a Spider team that shot above 50% from the field and nearly 60% from range. The 90 points was the most in a Hawk defeat in program history.
