KINGSTON, R.I. – There's been no such thing as comfort as of late in the matchup against Rhode Island, Sunday afternoon yet again proved as the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team was able to hold off the Rams in a 51-48 victory at the Ryan Center.
 
The Hawks move to 17-2 (6-1 Atlantic 10) on the season, continuing the best start under the direction of head coach Cindy Griffin. Rhode Island drops to 12-8 on the year, 4-3 in Atlantic 10 play.
 
 
FIRST QUARTER

• Laura Ziegler opened the afternoon with a three on the first possession for the Hawks to give an early lead.
• A quick six-point burst from St. Joe's forced Rhode Island into a timeout midway through the quarter, Talya Brugler scoring back-to-back buckets to put the Hawks back ahead 9-4.
• The hosts responded, both sides trading punches over the opening quarter as the Hawks took a 16-13 advantage after 10 minutes.

 
SECOND QUARTER

• Rhody opened the second with six of the first eight points to regain the lead, but Brugler countered with a triple to start a Hawk run.
• Brugler and Ziegler knocked down buckets to extend the advantage to five, the Hawks holding a 7-0 run headed into the media timeout.
• Only four points were scored over the final five minutes of play, each team trading buckets as a gritty first half settled with a 28-21 lead for SJU. The Hawks held the Rams to just 1-14 from the field to end the quarter.

 
THIRD QUARTER

• With the deficit cut to as little as four early in the third, Ziegler and Mackenzie Smith combined for four quick points to push the lead back to three possessions.
• The Rams continued to scrap, bringing the score within four points twice more towards the end of the frame.
• Julia Nyström helped steady the Hawks with two strong finishes under the rim to help St. Joe's end the quarter on a 6-0 run to push the lead to 42-32 with 10 minutes remaining.

 
FOURTH QUARTER

• Rhode Island held St. Joe's off the board for nearly five minutes to start the fourth, erasing the deficit with a 10-0 run before Smith finally had an answer for the Hawks.
• St. Joe's again found themselves answering the call after the Rams tied it once more, Chloe Welch driving to the basket and finishing through contact to notch an old-fashioned three.
• Smith tallied two more free throws of her own to extend the lead to five with under two minutes to play. Rhode Island found late offense through Dee Dee Davis, who pulled out a spectacular fadeaway jumper to cut the lead to one possession. A forced turnover on the ensuing possession and a couple chances under the rim cut the deficit to one.
• Smith, under pressure again, coolly knocked down two more free throws with nine seconds remaining, giving the Rams one last shot to tie the game.
• A relatively good look for Teisha Hyman rattled the rim and fell out, the Hawks able to hold off the rally for a 51-48 win on the road.

 
 
GAME NOTES

• Laura Ziegler finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds, grabbing her third-straight double double and eighth of the season. The eight already matches last year's efforts set in her freshman year. Ziegler also added a team-high four assists.
• Talya Brugler notched double-digits for the 39^th time in the last 42 Atlantic 10 games, nine of her 11 points coming in the first half.
• Mackenzie Smith added 15 points for the Hawks, including a clutch 4-4 from the line down the stretch.
• Chloe Welch and Julia Nyström combined for 12 points as the Hawks pulled all scoring from the starting five for the second time this season. Welch added seven rebounds in the win.
• The Hawks shot just 21-51 (41.2%) from the field in the win, going 0-6 in the second half from three to finish 4-15 (26.7%) from distance. The five free throws made was a season low.
• St. Joe's continued a strength on the season, minimizing the Rams to just 21-57 (36.8%) from the field and 2-14 (14.3%) from three. Entering 20^th in the country in scoring defense, St. Joe's held Rhode Island under the 54.9 scoring average for their opponents by allowing just 48 points – the ninth time holding an opponent under 50.
• St. Joe's remains unblemished on the season on the road, moving to 9-0. The Hawks lead the country in most road wins without a defeat.
• The 51 points is the first time the Hawks won this season without scoring 60+ points, the fewest points scored in a win since an exact replica of the 51-48 scoreline against Rhody in the A-10 Tournament in 2021-22.
• Six of the last seven games in this rivalry have been decided by one possession or have gone to overtime.

 
 
UP NEXT
St. Joe's grabs a short break before heading back on the road to take on St. Bonaventure on Wednesday, January 24. Tip is slated for 7 p.m.