PHILADELPHIA – The Hawks grabbed 66 points from three players as Saint Joseph's defeated Duquesne 77-62 inside Hagan Arena on Saturday afternoon.
 
The Hawks advance to 15-2 (4-1 Atlantic 10) on the season while Duquesne falls to 8-8 (2-2 Atlantic 10).
 
 
FIRST QUARTER

• Both teams combined for 1-7 from the field over the opening two and a half minutes before Mackenzie Smith knocked down a triple for the Hawks to tie the game at 3-3.
• Talya Brugler put the Hawks up 5-3, but a quick 6-0 spurt from Duquesne forced head coach Cindy Griffin into a timeout.
• Duquesne extended the lead to 16-8 with two minutes to play before the Hawks took over for the rest of the quarter. Smith started a 7-0 run with a drive to the basket before Chloe Welch finished with a stepback three to cut the deficit to 16-15 after the first frame.

 
SECOND QUARTER

• St. Joe's continued the second quarter with another seven points to extend the scoring run to 14-0, giving the Hawks a 22-16 lead.
• After a stretch that saw both teams trade baskets, the Hawks were able to extend the lead to as many as nine before Duquesne dealt a 9-0 run of their own to tie the game at 33 apiece.
• The Hawks outscored Duquesne 6-3 in the final minute and change to give the hosts a 39-36 advantage after the opening half.

 
THIRD QUARTER

• The Hawks came out of the gates on fire, using four-consecutive three-point plays to extend the advantage to 15 in the early stages of the half. Laura Ziegler started the run off with a triple on the first possession before Smith hit two-straight threes of her own. Brugler finished the run with the old-fashioned three-point play, finishing strong under the basket and connecting on the free throw after being fouled.
• After a Duquesne timeout, the visitors responded immediately with a three-pointer of their own. But the Hawks answered, Ziegler and Brugler finding easy buckets to counter the scoring to put the Hawks up 55-39 with under five minutes remaining.
• Brugler, Ziegler and Smith accounted for all 22 points in the frame, growing the lead to 13 headed into the final 10 minutes of play.

 
FOURTH QUARTER

• A quick run from the Dukes quickly cut the deficit to just six points for the visitors, St. Joe's calling a timeout to stop the drought.
• Brugler and Ziegler helped with that matter, going back to work for the next six points for the Hawks to trade baskets with Duquesne.
• A dagger in the game came from Welch, who knocked down a three from the wing to give the Hawks a 73-62 lead with just over two minutes to play.
• Brugler scored the final four points as the Hawks walked out with a 77-62 win for the second-straight victory for St. Joe's.

 
 
GAME NOTES

• A big effort from the trio of Laura Ziegler, Talya Brugler and Mackenzie Smith led the way for the Hawks, combining for 66 of the 77 points.
• Ziegler led all scorers with 25 points on 11-13 shooting, adding 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks. Her 25 points was a career-high, also setting a new best in most FGs made in a game
• Brugler added 23 points with seven rebounds. Her six assists and three blocks matched career highs.
• Smith finished 6-8 from the field for 18 points, Chloe Welch adding nine points of her own as the two combined for 6-9 from the three.
• St. Joe's shot a season-best 54.4% from the field by knocking down 31-57 attempts from the field. The Hawks also hit at a 47.4% clip from deep with a 9-19 performance. 
• The Hawks recorded back-to-back games with 50% or more from the field for the first time since early in the 2017-18 season.
• Duquesne shot 26-55 (47.3%) from the field in the loss and 8-16 (50.0%) from deep.
• The Hawks are now 29-3 all-time against Duquesne in Philadelphia.
• The 15-2 start by St. Joe's is the best record through 17 games in Coach Griffin's tenure, surpassing the mark set twice prior in the 2001-02 and 2022-23 seasons.

 
 
UP NEXT
St. Joe's has a quick turnaround, setting up for a Monday doubleheader with the men's basketball team as both take on La Salle. The women kick off the action at Hagan Arena with a 12 p.m. tip against the Explorers on CBSSN.