Saint Joseph's (5-0) at Bucknell (2-4)
Tuesday, November 28 | 6:00 p.m. | Sojka Pavillion | Lewisburg, Pa.
ESPN+ | Live Stats
 

GAMEDAY LINKS
Saint Joseph's: Roster | Schedule | Stats | Game Notes
Bucknell: Roster | Schedule | Stats

Saint Joseph's battles Bucknell on Tuesday evening in its fifth-straight game on the road

• Saint Joseph's is 5-1 all-time against Bucknell in a series that dates back to 1985. The Hawks enter Tuesday's matchup with a two-game win streak.
• SJU is a perfect 2-0 against Bucknell on the road, including a four-point win in 2005 and a 24-point win in 2017.
• Head Coach Cindy Griffin holds a 4-1 record overall against the Bison.
 
BIG 5'S BEST
Laura Ziegler earned her first Big 5 honor on Monday afternoon, voted as the Philly Big 5 Player of the Week for her performance against Temple. Ziegler posted her 11th double-double in her career against the Owls, tallying 21 points and 13 rebounds. The Danish forward also added a season-high four blocks to help stave off a late rally from Temple for a 67-65 overtime win.

BACK-2-BACK
The Atlantic 10 Conference announced its weekly awards on Monday afternoon, Gabby Casey earning her second-consecutive Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Week honor. Just a week after her season-best 16 points against Penn helped her lead to her first career accolades, the freshman followed the performance with 15 points in just 21 minutes off the bench against Temple, going 6-7 from the field in the overtime win to earn her second-straight A-10 honor.

DEFENSIVE PROWESS
The Hawks have held four of their opponents to under 35% from the field, and all five under 40% for a combined 104-312 (.333) mark. It is the 10th time since the start of the 2022-23 season that St. Joe's has limited opponents to under 35%. The 196 points allowed after four games was the fewest under the Cindy Griffin era, and the third-fewest all-time in program history (1973-74, 1993-94).

THE OPPONENT
The matchup Tuesday will be between two of the cleanest teams in the country, Bucknell only averaging 14.2 fouls per game. The Bison are also efficient at getting to the free throw line, one of the best in the Patriot League in terms of makes per game (13.67 - 2nd), attempts per game (19.33 - 3rd) and percentage (70.7% - 3rd).
Emma Theodorsson has been the primary scorer for the Bison over the course of six games, the only Bucknell player in double figures with an average of 11.2 points per game. Isabella King and Ashley Sofilkanich combine for 18 points between them. Nine players have made at least one start for the Bison.

PLAYING WITH THE LEAD
St. Joe's has held the lead for at least 32 minutes in all five games, totaling a time of 184:17 holding a lead over the first 205 minutes of the season. The Crimson and Gray have held an advantage for 90.33% of the season, just 4.67% of the time with a deficit. The largest lead an opponent has held over the Hawks was just three points.

MAKING THE FREE ONES COUNT
Nearing a month into the season, the Hawks have had an elite start at the charity stripe. SJU has knocked down 83.5% of its attempts (76-91), the mark good for sixth-best in the NCAA.
The best effort of the season came in a win at Yale, cashing in on 23-25 (92.0%) of their shots from the line - including a 15-15 performance in the fourth quarter. The output was the first time since November of 2021 that St. Joe's knocked down at least 20 free throws and was the third-best percentage at the line since December 2011 (min. 20 made).

ZIEGLER DOMINANCE
Laura Ziegler has been one of the most dominant players on the glass in the country through her opening five games. The sophomore ranks sixth in the NCAA, 1st in the conference, in rebounds per game with 12.0. The Danish forward also ranks second (1st - Lauren Gustin, BYU with 11.8) in terms of defensive rebounds, pulling in 9.6 per game on the other end of the floor. Three of her four games this year, Ziegler has recorded 12+ rebounds with the outlier being just five against Yale.