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Saint Joseph's University

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Women's Basketball Hosts VCU in Atlantic 10 Opener

12/28/2024 1:21:00 PM

Saint Joseph's (9-2) vs. VCU (6-6)

Sunday, December 29 • 2:00 p.m.

Hagan Arena • Philadelphia, Pa. • ESPN+

 
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AT THE TIP
  • The Hawks begin Atlantic 10 action on Sunday afternoon, hosting VCU inside Hagan Arena.
  • St. Joe's is fresh off a Hawk Classic trophy for the second-consecutive season, defeating College of Charleston 59-54 in the championship game the last time out. The win capped off a 9-2 non-conference campaign for the Hawks.

LAST TIME OUT
  • The Hawks lifted the championship trophy at the 29th annual Hawk Classic presented by Jersey Mike's for the 13th time, fighting off College of Charleston in a scrappy 59-54 win inside of Hagan Arena.
  • Seven of the nine ties throughout the contest came in the first quarter, each team matching each other over the opening 10 minutes. St. Joe's was able to grow a five-point advantage at the halftime whistle. An 8-0 run from Charleston tied the game early in the third quarter, but defense and clutch shooting would keep the Hawks at least two possessions in front of the Cougars over the final 15 minutes.
  • Laura Ziegler recorded her 30th double-double of her career with a 23-point, 13-rebound performance. Brugler added 15 points while Gabby Casey added 10 in the lowest scoring game of the year for the Hawks.

HAWKS IN THE NCAA RANKS
  • Laura Ziegler enters tied for fifth all-time in school history with 30 career double-doubles, one shy of tying for third place. The junior ranks eighth in the country with 11.3 rebounds per game, fifth with 9.0 defensive rebounds per game.
  • Ziegler and Talya Brugler have scored double-digits in all 11 games on the season.
  • The Hawks rank 10th in the country in assists per game (19.4) and 11th in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio (1.41).
  • St. Joe's ranks seventh in the country in free throw percentage (80.2%) and eighth in three-point percentage (39.2%).
  • Only Creighton (82.1%) has had a better free throw percentage since the start of the 2023-24 season than Saint Joseph's (80.7%).

MILESTONE MARKS
  • Laura Ziegler enters the VCU game with 999 career points, one point shy of becoming the 31st player in program history to reach 1,000 points. Ziegler would be the fourth-fastest player (74) to the milestone, only Dale Hodges (53), Susan Moran (64) and Talya Brugler (72) reaching 1,000 points quicker than the Herlev, Denmark native.
  • Ziegler has also entered the top 10 in program history in rebounds with her 13 boards against Charleston, her 686 rebounds surpassing Chrissy McGoldrick for 10th place. Adashia Franklyn ranks ninth with 724 rebounds.
  • Ziegler also sits t-9th in blocks, joining Jessi Dunne and Kim Foley with 80 in her career.
  • Mackenzie Smith would become the 12th player in program history with 100 starts in her career against VCU.
  • Talya Brugler is 88 points shy of entering top five in program history in scoring, while Mackenzie Smith needs 37 points to move into 11th.

SERIES REWIND
  • The Hawks enter the matchup with VCU with a 10-13 record in the series. After a three-game losing streak to start the rivalry, the Hawks rattled off eight of the next 10 matchups. However, the Rams have won seven of the last eight in the series.
  • St. Joe's has played VCU inside the Siegel Center in four of the last five matchups, winning the only home game in that span with a 67-45 victory in the 2022-23 season.
  • The Hawks have a winning record in Philadelphia, taking a 7-4 advantage into Sunday's contest.
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