Saint Joseph's (6-0) vs. North Florida (2-6)
Saturday, December 2 | 12:00 p.m. | Hagan Arena | Philadelphia, Pa.
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GAMEDAY LINKS
Saint Joseph's: Roster | Schedule | Stats | Game Notes
North Florida: Roster | Schedule | Stats

Nearly a month has transpired since Saint Joseph's last played at home, the Hawks taking on North Florida for just the second time in program history when they welcome the Ospreys to Hagan Arena on Saturday afternoon.

• Saint Joseph's is 1-0 all-time against North Florida, the first meeting coming in last season's trip to Jacksonville.
• The Hawks were led by a 15-point, eight-rebound outing from Laura Ziegler, one of nine players to score at least six points for St. Joe's in last season's 79-56 win.
 
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 six under 40% for a combined 123-360 (.342) mark. The win against Temple 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 meeting with North Florida welcomes one of the most aggressive teams from behind the arc in the country. Making nearly nine threes a game, 27th best in the country, the Ospreys rank eighth in the nation in attempts per game (29.6). The long shots lead to a high clip of offensive rebounds, securing 14.2 offensive boards a game On the other end, North Florida only allows opponents to just 26.8% from behind the arc. 
Lyric Swann returns as last season's top scorer, adding 10.8 points per game early on in her season. UNF is led by Kaila Rougier, who scores 11.9 points and adds 4.8 rebounds per night with a team-high 12 steals. Jayla Adams ranks 27th in the country with 40 assists on the year. Adams also tallies 9.4 points per game and 3.3 rebounds.

PLAYING WITH THE LEAD
St. Joe's has held the lead for at least 32 minutes in all six games, totaling a time of 224:50 holding a lead over the first 245 minutes of the season. The Crimson and Gray have held an advantage for 91.77% of the season, just 3.88% of the time with a deficit. The largest lead an opponent has held over the Hawks was just three points.

GRINDING IT OUT
The Hawks made history in the overtime win against Temple, fending off the Owls despite no field goals over the final nine minutes of the game. It proved the first time in program history that the Hawks were able to win in overtime without a field goal made. St. Joe's used an 8-10 effort in the extra period to push past Temple in a 67-65 win

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 eighth in the NCAA, 1st in the conference, in rebounds per game with 11.8. The Danish forward also ranks third (1st - Lauren Gustin, BYU with 11.8) in terms of defensive rebounds, pulling in 9.2 per game on the other end of the floor. Ziegler's four double-doubles rank ninth in the country, leading the Atlantic 10.