Hawks Host Villanova in Big 5 Clash on Sunday

11/30/2024 1:05:00 PM

Saint Joseph's (5-1) vs. Villanova (4-3)

AT THE TIP

The Hawks host Villanova inside Hagan Arena in the final pod game of the Big 5, the winner moving on to the Big 5 Classic championship game on December 6.
St. Joe's is off the back of a 53-point win over Saint Francis on Wednesday, November 27. The Hawks are averaging a 62.5 margin of victory in two games inside of Hagan Arena.
Laura Ziegler earned her first Atlantic 10/Big 5 Player of the Week honors of the season as the Hawks have swept the award all three weeks to start the season (Talya Brugler, 2x). Ziegler also earned AP Player of the Week honorable mention as well as being named to the NCAA Starting Lineup of the Week.

LAST TIME OUT

St. Joe's recovered back to winning ways in a convincing fashion after its first loss of the season, cruising end-to-end in a 88-35 victory over Saint Francis inside of Hagan Arena.
Laura Ziegler registered the fourth triple-double in program history, finishing with 16 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists.
Talya Brugler added a game-high 18 points, while Mackenzie Smith added 17 points and Rhian Stokes had a career-high 12 points in the win.

HAWKS IN THE NCAA RANKS

The Hawks rank fourth in the country in assists per game (22.0) and eighth in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio (1.65).
St. Joe's ranks eighth in the country in three-point percentage, knocking down 41.5% of its attempts from distance.
The Hawks also rank as one of the most elite shooting teams from the foul line, sitting 14th at 79.8% from the charity stripe.
Laura Ziegler's five double-doubles on the season ranks third in the NCAA, sitting 10th in the country with 11.0 rebounds per game.
Talya Brugler is one of seven players in the country with a 100% rate from the free throw line (min. 10 made).

TRIPLE-DOUBLE TROUBLE

Laura Ziegler became the fourth Hawk in program history to record a triple-double after 16 points, 13 rebounds and 10 assists in the win over Saint Francis.
13,438 days passed since the last triple-double, Debbie Black tallying 12 points, 12 rebounds and 10 steals on February 13, 1988 against Duquesne.
Joanne Burke (20 points, 18 rebounds, 11 assists) recorded the first triple-double against Temple on February, 28, 1978 before Ellen Clark (10 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists) earned hers over George Washington on February 10, 1984.

MILESTONE MARKS

Head Coach Cindy Griffin earned her 400th win at the helm of St. Joe's over Syracuse and her 450th career win against Southern Utah.
Mackenzie Smith sits 17 points shy of Chelsea Woods (2014-18) for 16th in scoring in program history.
Talya Brugler and Smith became the 64th and 65th Hawk to reach 100 career games played at St. Joe's.
Brugler became the 24th Hawk in program history to record 500 rebounds in a career after surpassing the feat against Penn. Brugler also sits 14 points shy of eighth all-time in scoring in program history.
Laura Ziegler needs just 79 points to become the 31st Hawk in program history to reach 1,000 career points.

SERIES REWIND

The Hawks and Wildcats meet for the 51st time in series history on Sunday afternoon, the first time in the new-look Big 5. St. Joe's leads the all-time series 28-22.
In the 21st century, Villanova has held a 16-8 advantage over Saint Joseph's.
The teams met twice last season, splitting the pair of games. St. Joe's defeated Villanova in December to break a seven-game losing streak and claim the first outright Big 5 title since 2013-14. The Wildcats exacted revenge in the first matchup with Villanova outside of the Big 5 with a win over the Hawks in the quarterfinals of the WBIT.