Box Score PHILADELPHIA – The Hawk Will Never Die. The Hagan Arena crowd could be heard chanting the iconic slogan as time winded down, Saint Joseph's women's basketball defeating Villanova in a 73-67 thriller on Saturday evening.
 
The Hawks broke a seven-game losing streak against the Wildcats, pushing to 3-0 in the Big 5 and 9-1 overall to earn at least a share of the Big 5 title for the first time since 2014-15. Villanova falls to 6-3 on the season, 2-1 in the Big 5.
 
 
FIRST QUARTER

• Both teams combined for makes on eight of the first nine shots of the night over the first three minutes of play, Villanova grabbing an early 11-6 lead.
• After both teams went on a 3:30 scoring drought, the Wildcats extended the advantage with a basket to break the duct.
• After a putback from Talya Brugler to break the drought, Laura Ziegler and Gabby Casey would add baskets in between a Christina Dalce layup to cut the deficit to 15-13.
• Villanova would be benefactors of a friendly bounce, Lucy Olsen firing up a triple off the backboard and in as time was near expiring to hold an 18-13 advantage after 10 minutes.

 
SECOND QUARTER

• The Hawks kept the Wildcats under 30% from the field over the first five minutes, but were unable to take advantage on the other end as Villanova led 28-21 at the media timeout.
• Maddie Webber helped the visitors extend the lead to 10 points with a three pointer from the wing, giving Villanova its largest lead of the half.
• St. Joe's scored the final five points of the game, Julia Nyström answering with a three of her own before Ziegler's 10^th point cut the deficit to 33-28 at the halftime break.

 
THIRD QUARTER

• Early in the third, the Wildcats regained their double-digit advantage after Olsen once again called her own number for her 25^th point of the night to put Villanova up 44-34.
• St. Joe's responded with a 10-1 run, going a perfect 3-3 from the field from three different scorers to put the Hawks with one point.
• After a pair of Olsen free throws, Mackenzie Smith tied the game after left all alone from deep.
• Smith called own number on the next possession, the Villanova defender overplaying her pump fake as the junior drove to the dish and again tied the game.
• St. Joe's came up with a stop, getting the last chance of the quarter as Smith turned provider as Ziegler finished from close to give SJU a two-point lead at the end of the third.

 
FOURTH QUARTER

• With two minutes into the quarter, the Wildcats tied the game up from a deep effort from Brynn McCurry.
• Emma Boslet and Smith scored four-straight points to give the Hawks a two-possession lead before Webber responded with a three.
• After buckets by Brugler and Smith towards the middle of the quarter, St. Joe's took a 63-58 lead into the final three minutes of play.
• Every score for the Wildcats had a response, Ziegler and Brugler providing buckets to counter a one-of-two attempt from the free throw line.
• After Olsen banked in a three with 45 seconds to play, Villanova found itself trailing 69-64.
• Welch knocked down all four of her free throws over her final 30 seconds, able to fend off a late comeback bid by the Wildcats with a 73-67 victory.

 
GAME NOTES

• Mackenzie Smith tallied a team-high 21 points on 9-15 shooting (60.0%), adding five rebounds and two assists in her effort.
• Laura Ziegler added a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double as the sophomore finished over 50% (8-15) from the field.
• Talya Brugler also added 16 points with five assists and five rebounds.
• Chloe Welch added 11 points, a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line. Welch also paced the Hawks with three steals.
• St. Joe's finished 28-59 (47.5%) from the field, knocking down 5-12 (41.7%) of its opportunities from deep. SJU held a 42-32 advantage in points on paint.
• The 47.5% marks the highest percentage at home for the Hawks on the season, third-highest mark on the season.
• Villanova ended the night 26-67 (38.8%) from the floor and 6-25 (24.0%) from deep. The Wildcats held a 20-14 margin in offensive rebounds to tally a 21-9 advantage in second chance points.
• St. Joe's ended a seven-game losing streak, the largest streak in series history for either team. The win is just the third inside Hagan Arena, now 3-4 against the Main Line rivals.
• The Hawks will claim at least a share of the Big 5 title, holding an opportunity to win it outright with a win over La Salle in January. The last Big 5 title came in the 2014-15 season, the last outright title in 2013-14.
• Both the men and women defeated Villanova in the same year, marking the first time since the 1994-95 season. That year, the men downed the Wildcats in a 60-57 win at the Palestra while the women won in a 48-47 nailbiter.
• Lucy Olsen tied a Hagan Arena record, set by Chelsea Woods, with 32 points for the game-high. Olsen broke the opponent scoring record at Hagan, one that stood for just about 48 hours (Alissa Pili from Utah – 31).

 
UP NEXT
St. Joe's takes an 11-day hiatus before hosting the Hawk Classic. The Hawks begin the tournament with a matchup against New Hampshire on December 20. Tip is scheduled for 1 p.m.