VILLANOVA, Pa. – The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team returned to the win column on Friday evening inside of the Finneran Pavilion, using a strong second half to cruise to a 69-47 win over Drexel to claim third place at the Big 5 Classic tripleheader.
 
The Hawks finish the Big 5 season 2-1, moving to 6-2 on the season. Drexel falls to 3-4 on the year, finishing fourth in the Big 5 with a 1-2 record.
 
 
FIRST QUARTER

• Drexel opened the game with makes on its first four attempts to build a 9-3 lead.
• Mackenzie Smith helped jump start the Hawk offense, scoring five of the next 10 points to push the Hawks to a 10-0 run entering the media timeout.
• A four-minute drought for the Hawks allowed Drexel to retake the lead in the final minute before the two teams traded baskets to push each back ahead.
• Smith pushed the court with five seconds left, pulling up from three and connecting as time expired despite having to alter her shot in midair. The triple gave the Hawks an 18-16 lead after the opening frame.

 
SECOND QUARTER

• Rhian Stokes opened the frame with a midrange effort on the first possession before Smith knocked down her third triple of the half to extend the advantage to seven.
• The Hawks were able to keep at least a two-possession lead throughout the quarter, Gabby Casey, Talya Brugler and Smith scoring 15 of the 17 points in the frame to take a 35-30 lead into the half.

 
 
THIRD QUARTER

• The Dragons opened with the first four points of the second half before back-to-back threes from Laura Ziegler extended the Hawk advantage to 41-34.
• St. Joe's extended the run to a 10-2 swing after layups from Smith and Brugler covered a response from Drexel.
• The Hawks shared the final 12 points with Drexel, taking a 51-42 lead into the final frame.

 
 
FOURTH QUARTER

• As she did in the second quarter, Stokes again opened the scoring in the fourth to jumpstart a 12-0 run. Stokes, Ziegler and Smith all scored four points in the span to grow a 63-42 lead.
• St. Joe's held Drexel to just five points in the final quarter, leading by as many as 22 points after Brugler recorded her 10^th point of the game to extend her double-digit scoring to 11 games.
• The Hawk defense limited the Dragons to just 2-12 (16.7%) from the field over the fourth, forcing three turnovers to cruise to a 69-47 win to claim third place in the Big 5.

 
 
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Mackenzie Smith scored a game-high 23 points in the win, her third game of the season with 20+ points. All three three-pointers were made in the first half, Smith finishing 10-17 from the field. The senior guard added five rebounds to her total.
• Smith moves into 14^th in scoring in program history, surpassing Ayahna Cornish (2003-07) and Irina Krasnoshiok (2000-04).
• Laura Ziegler's run of five games with a double-double came to an end, the junior finishing with 17 points and seven rebounds.
• Talya Brugler neared a triple-double only nine days after Ziegler registered the first in nearly 36 years. The senior scored 10 points, adding eight rebounds and a career-high nine assists to fall just shy of the feat.
• Brugler tied Angela Zampella (1997-01) and Trish Brown (1981-85) for sixth all-time in scoring in program history.
• Gabby Casey was the fourth Hawk to reach double-digits, nine of her 11 points coming in the first half. Casey was a perfect 4-4 from the field.
• Rhian Stokes scored all six of the Hawks' bench points, adding career bests in rebounds (4) and assists (3). The freshman also blocked a shot for a +23 plus/minus in just 15 minutes of action.
• The Hawks shot over 50% from the field for the fourth time this season, finishing the night 28-53 (52.8%) from the floor. St. Joe's finished 8-17 (47.1%) from deep and made five of its six free throws (83.3%).
• St. Joe's limited Drexel to just 23 rebounds, holding a 34-23 advantage on the glass.
• The Hawk defense suffocated the Dragons to just 19-51 (37.3%) from the field and 3-16 (18.8%) from distance.
• Saint Joseph's has won the last three matchups in the series, moving to 13-10 all-time against Drexel. All three of the last wins have come by double-digit margins.
• The Hawks move to 2-0 following a defeat, 7-0 in the last two seasons after a loss.

 
 
UP NEXT
St. Joe's hosts Maine inside Hagan Arena on Monday, December 9. Tip is scheduled for 7 p.m. on ESPN+.