PHILADELPHIA – It was all smiles inside Hagan Arena as the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team opened the 2023-24 season with a win after a 71-49 victory over Rider on Tuesday evening.
 
Laura Ziegler and Talya Brugler combined for 41 points as the Hawks move to 1-0 for the fifth-straight season.
 
FIRST QUARTER

• Brugler started the spark for the offense over the opening five minutes, accounting for all seven of the Hawks' points (4P, 1A) as the junior's reverse layup gave St. Joe's a 7-4 lead.
• Ziegler, who as a sophomore was chosen by the team as a co-captain this season, tallied her first points of the season by knocking down a triple to extend the advantage before Brugler's third bucket of the game finished off a 10-0 run.
• The offense would go cold as St. Joe's failed to grab a field goal over the final four minutes. Rider used a 5-2 run over that spurt to cut the deficit to 14-9 after the first quarter.

 
SECOND QUARTER

• Emma Boslet spraked a 7-0 run to start the second with a step-back triple at end of the shot clock and baskets from Ziegler and Brugler quickly gave the Hawks a 24-9 lead.
• After back-to-back three-point plays from the Broncs, St. Joe's went back to work in the paint as Brugler and Ziegler would score the final 10 points of the half for the Crimson and Gray en route to a 31-18 lead.

 
THIRD QUARTER

• Chloe Welch grabbed her first points as a Hawk, the graduate transfer knocking down from distance to help the Hawks to the first five points of the second half. The Hawks would continue on 9-3 run to force a Bronc timeout, leading 40-21.
• On the other end of the break, the Hawks continued the lockdown defense as Brugler took over on the offensive side of the ball. The run continued to 18-3 while Brugler grabbed her 22^nd point of the night during the stretch.

 
FOURTH QUARTER

• Trading baskets over the first five minutes of the fourth, the Hawks were able to maintain their 20+ point lead.
• The Hawks were able to play all 13 players, Gabby Casey grabbing her first four points in the closing stages of the matchup.
• St. Joe's cruised to a 71-49, earning its fifth-consecutive opening night win.

 
GAME NOTES

• Brugler paced the Hawks, scoring a game-high 22 points on an efficient 10-11 shooting from the field. The junior also added three assists on the night in just 26 minutes.
• For the ninth time in her career, Ziegler finished with a double-double after a staggering 19-point, 16-rebound effort in the win. Ziegler had 11 points and nine rebounds at the half. The sophomore added two steals and two blocks in the win.
• Julia Nyström got the nod at the point guard spot in the opener, flourishing with eight points and five assists while pitching in with three rebounds. The Swede also played a big role in limiting Makayla Firebaugh (14.3 ppg last year) to just six points and five turnovers.
• All five newcomers made their debuts for the Hawks. Chloe Welch started in her first appearance for St. Joe's, finishing with seven points and five rebounds. Welch sits just nine points shy of eclipsing the 1,000-point mark on her career.
• As a team, the Hawks finished 27-58 (46.6%) from the field and 6-17 (35.3%) from deep.Rider was limited to 18-52 (34.6%) from the floor despite a clip of 8-18 (44.4%) from behind the arc.
• St. Joe's dominated the glass 39-26 with a 36-18 advantage in points in the paint. The Hawks also forced 17 turnovers on the evening.
• SJU moves to 7-1 all-time against Rider, earning the first win over the Broncs inside Hagan Arena.

 
UP NEXT
The Hawks make the first road trip of the season on Saturday, November 11 when they take on the Yale Bulldogs. Tip is slated for noon.