The Bronx, N.Y. – The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team closed 2023 off with a bang, tallying a 76-49 win over Fordham on Saturday evening for an emphatic start to the Atlantic 10 season.
 
The Hawks continue the second-best start in program history, adding on to the best start under head coach Cindy Griffin by moving to 12-1 on the season and 1-0 in A-10. Fordham falls to 5-8 and 0-2 in the Atlantic 10.
 
 
FIRST QUARTER

• The Hawks started the game on fire, knocking down the first four attempts from the field – all from deep – to force a timeout after a quick 12-2 run to start the game.
• St. Joe's continued the flawless start with another two baskets by Laura Ziegler and Talya Brugler, the eighth point of the game for the junior, to push the lead to 16-2.
• Solid defense allowed the Hawks to overcome a four-minute drought, keeping the Rams off the board over that span before Chloe Welch finished an old-fashioned three-point play to cap off the 19-2 run to open the game.
• After the Rams responded with their second bucket of the game, St. Joe's scored the final four points to take a 23-4 lead after the opening frame.
• The Hawks shot 8-11 (72.7%) from the field in the opening quarter, holding Fordham to just 2-15 (13.3%) from the field.

 
SECOND QUARTER

• The hosts rattled the first basket of the quarter home, but the Hawks continued their early surge with the next nine points as Ziegler and Brugler continued to pull the strings.
• Fordham closed the gap to 20 points with the next six on the floor, Brugler ending the Rams' run with her 14^th point of the contest with over three minutes to play.
• The Rams looked to cut into the lead again, this time trailing 36-16 before Mackenzie Smith pulled from three. Despite a tip on the ball, the ref saw contact that would send Smith to the line for three shots. A technical foul was then assessed to the Rams, giving Smith five free throws and the ball back. Smith knocked four of the five down and would hit a corner three for a rare seven-point possession for the junior to extend the lead to 27.
• The Hawks entered the half with a 43-18 advantage, shooting well over 60% over the first two quarters.

 
THIRD QUARTER

• It was a day meant for the Hawks as the visitors opened the second half with yet another dominant stretch, scoring the first 14 points of the quarter to push the lead to 39. Four different players scored in the span, led by Ziegler's eight points in that stretch.
• St. Joe's cooled over the final five minutes, scoring just four points to finish the frame. Aleah Snead grabbed her first bucket of the game off of Ziegler's sixth assist of the afternoon with just under three minutes remaining, turning out to be the final points of the quarter for either team as the Hawks took a 61-26 advantage headed into the final frame.

 
FOURTH QUARTER

• The two teams traded the opening four baskets before a quick four-point spurt from Snead put the Hawks up 67-32.
• Brugler would grab her fifth game of 20 or more points with a basket midway through the fourth before being subbed out for the final time.
• Another basket by Snead continued her best offensive game in her short career.
• Lizzy Gruber and Emirson Devenie would each grab their second bucket of the season in the closing stages, the Hawks cruising to a 76-49 victory on the final game of the year.

 
GAME NOTES

• Talya Brugler tallied a game-high 20 points in the win, moving into 25^th place all-time in program history with 1,048 points. Brugler passed both Ciara Andrews (1,042) and Melissa Coursey (1,047) in the win, while also adding eight rebounds and a game-high +39 while on the floor
• For the fourth time in her career, Laura Ziegler finished with six assists on the day while adding 15 points and seven rebounds.
• Mackenzie Smith was the third Hawk in double-digits with half of her 14 points coming on one possession.
• Chloe Welch finished with nine points and six rebounds.
• The Hawks assisted on nearly 75% of field goals with 21 assists on 29 made attempts. SJU finished 52.7% from the field on 29-55 shooting, the best percentage on the season.
• Fordham was just 19-59 (32.2%) from the field, the fifth time the Hawks have held an opponent under 35% from field goals on the year.
• The 39-point lead in the third quarter was the largest of the season for St. Joe's, who led for 39:35 of the contest.
• St. Joe's scored more points in the first half than total scoring in three of the last four games against the Rams, finishing with the 76 points – the most by either team since SJU's 76 points on March 5, 2010.
• The 27-point victory was the largest margin of victory for either team since a 72-43 victory over the Rams in January of 2007.
• The win over Fordham broke a six-game losing streak over the hosts.

 
 
UP NEXT
St. Joe's opens its home slate in the A-10 with a matchup against George Washington on Wednesday, January 3. Tip is slated for 7 p.m.