PHILADELPHIA – In a game that honored five seniors prior to the contest, it was appropriate that senior
Paula Maurina led the Hawks with 19 points as the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team defeated Rhode Island with a 72-67 victory inside Hagan Arena on Saturday afternoon.
The Hawks rebound after a weekday road stumble to improve to 25-3 (14-2 Atlantic 10). Rhode Island drops to 17-12 (9-7 Atlantic 10).
FIRST QUARTER
- With three different Hawks making their first career start for St. Joe's, the newcomers showed some early sparks as Bridget Monaghan slipped in a pass to the rolling Paula Maurina to open the scoring.
- Talya Brugler found her first points of the afternoon before Maurina once again finished under the rim, drawing contact and finishing the three-point play to put St. Joe's up 7-2.
- After Rhode Island tied the game at 7-7, Chloe scored seven of the Hawks' next 11 points, including a driving layup with minimal time remaining in the quarter to put St. Joe's up 18-13.
SECOND QUARTER
- After an opening basket from the Rams, Gabby Casey led an 11-0 run from the Hawks with seven points and an assist to build a 29-15 advantage.
- Maurina traded points with Rhode Island the next two possessions, tallying her 13th point of the afternoon with over three minutes on the clock.
- Welch buried a deep three late in the shot clock in the final few minutes in part of a charge that kept the Hawk lead in double digits, St. Joe's entering the second half up 38-26.
THIRD QUARTER
- Defensive pressure created two quick opportunities for St. Joe's, opening with the first four points to build the lead to 16.
- The Rams dropped a 9-0 run to counter the Hawk start before a pair of free throws from Maurina stopped the bleeding.
- Maurina continued her strong day with the next four points for SJU, pushing the lead back to double-digits.
- Teisha Hyman delivered four points for the Rams before Mackenzie Smith led an 8-2 run over the final 2:43 to hold a 56-43 lead into the final quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER
- St. Joe's matched efforts from Rhode Island over the first six minutes of the final frame, keeping the Rams at bay with a double-digit lead as the Hawks still held a 12-point advantage with four minutes to play.
- The margin dwindled as Rhode Island ripped a 10-0 run over two and a half minutes to cut the deficit to 66-64.
- Rhode Island had a chance to tie or take the lead, but the Hawk defense was able to force a stop and collect the rebound with 30 seconds to play.
- Dee Dee Davis countered a pair of free throws from Julia Nyström with a three pointer to keep the Rams within one point.
- The Rams put Talya Brugler on the line, forcing the junior into two pressure free throws. Brugler stepped to the line and knocked the pair down to extend the lead to three.
- The defense again once again stepped up to force a tough shot on the other end, Davis' three-point attempt to tie it missing the rim completely as the Hawks were able to outlast the Rams with a 72-67 victory to cap off a successful senior day.
GAME NOTES
- Paula Maurina had a game-high 19 points, making the first six of her seven attempts while finishing 7-7 from the free throw line. Maurina posted a career-high on Hawk Hill, her most points since Feb. 28, 2022 against UMass-Lowell during her time with Hartford.
- Talya Brugler added 17 points in the win, finishing 6-13 from the field with a team-high seven rebounds.
- Chloe Welch added 14 points on the afternoon, while Mackenzie Smith was the fourth Hawk with double-digits with 13 points and a pair of steals.
- Emma Boslet led the Hawks with four assists in her first career start.
- Gabby Casey recorded seven points and four rebounds off the bench.
- The Hawks shot 43.1% from the field after a 25-58 performance on the day, just 5-18 (27.8%) from distance.
- The 17-17 effort from the free throw line is tied for the fifth-most free throws without a miss by any team this season. The 17 free throws were the most by St. Joe's without missing since an 18-18 effort against La Salle on February 17, 2019.
- St. Joe's is one game shy of matching the program record for most wins in a season.
UP NEXT
The Hawks head back home to take on Rhode Island on Saturday, February 24, celebrating Senior Day prior to the 2 p.m. matchup.
