Saint Joseph's (18-7, 8-5 A-10) vs. Rhode Island (21-4, 12-1 A-10)
Sunday, February 19 | 2:00 p.m. | Hagan Arena | Philadelphia, Pa.
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GAMEDAY LINKS
Saint Joseph's: Roster | Schedule | Stats | Game Notes
Rhode Island: Roster | Schedule | Stats 

PHILADELPHIA - The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team hosts an important matchup in the Atlantic 10 on Sunday afternoon, hosting the Rhode Island Rams, who sit tied at the top of the conference standings.

St. Joe's meets Rhode Island in a rematch in one of the games of the season in Atlantic 10 action, the two teams going the distance in a double overtime victory for the Rams on February 1. The Hawks have won three-straight since the defeat in Kingston, hopeful to use the momentum into Sunday's matchup. 

In the first meeting, the Hawks came back from a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to force overtime. Talya Brugler led the team with 24 points and six rebounds, adding a pair of blocks and steals. Brugler played all 50 minutes of the contest. Laura Ziegler posted eight points and 13 rebounds on the day, producing a career-high seven blocks en route to playing all but nearly a minute of the game. Mackenzie Smith and Olivia Mullins each added double-digit scoring in the defeat to the Rams.

SJU comes off of a 16-point win against Davidson to cap off a pair of road victories against Dayton and the Wildcats. In the three-game win streak since the defeat to URI, the Hawks have won by an average of nearly 17 points per game. Brugler tallied a career-high 34 points in the win over the Wildcats, shooting at a rate of 14-16 (87.5%) from the field. 

The Hawks have posted 18 wins, the most in a single-season since a 2017-18 squad that was 19-15. The eight conference wins also proves the most since that squad, who finished 10-6 in conference. That team was the last to make a postseason tournament, earning a WNIT bid.

Scouting The Rams
Rhode Island enters the matchup coming off its first loss in A-10 play against Massachusetts, having won the opening 12 games of the conference campaign. The Rams enter as one of the best offensive and defensive three-point shooting teams in the country, knocking down 35.9% (23rd) of their attempts while limiting to opponents to 26.4% (17th) shooting. Rhode Island holds opponents to just 56.3 points per game, 28th best mark in the country. Largely in part due to their domination on the glass, URI holds a +7.5 rebound margin, best in the conference and 23rd in the nation.

Mayé Touré paces the Rams with a team-high 13.6 points and 8.7 rebounds, adding 25 blocks on the year with her 11 double-doubles. Sayawni Lassiter adds 5.0 assists per game, third best in the A-10. Madison Hattix-Covington puts double-digits up with 10.6 points per game along with her 4.7 rebounds, while Anaelle Dutat adds 5.8 rebounds off the bench.

Buckets For Brugler
A career-night awaited Talya Brugler against Davidson, dominating front to end in the Hawks' 16-point road win against the Wildcats. Brugler shot 14-16 (87.5%) from the field, a perfect 5-5 from the line and connected on her lone attempt from three en route to a new career-best 34 points. The 34 points is the second highest mark of the season, just behind fellow sophomore Mackenzie Smith's 38 points at Richmond.

En Fuego
St. Joe's found its rhythm in midweek against Davidson, finishing the night 58.8% from the field on 30-51 shooting. The Hawks did most of their work in the paint, finishing with a season-best 44 points inside the paint. In the few attempts from deep, the Hawks connected on 4-10 from beyond the arc. SJU held Davidson to just 19 rebounds on the night. Only against George Washington did the Hawks shoot a higher clip from the floor this season (60.5%).