PHILADELPHIA – Big time players make big time plays, and forward Talya Brugler had no shortage of those as Saint Joseph's defeated Massachusetts 77-67 inside Hagan Arena on Saturday afternoon behind a 30-point effort from the junior.
 
The Hawks are now 21-2 on the season, moving to 10-1 in Atlantic 10 play with seven games remaining. UMass falls to 3-20 on the year, 1-10 in conference action.
 
 
FIRST QUARTER

• An energized start to the game saw the two teams combine for 24 points in the opening six minutes, shared at 12 points apiece. Chloe Welch led the scoring with five points for the Hawks.
• The frenetic pace continued, but production slowed in large part due to the defensive effort from the hosts.
• St. Joe's held the Minutewomen scoreless over the final four minutes of the quarter, a 6-6 effort from the line helping the Hawks to a 8-0 run over that span to take a 20-12 lead after the first quarter.

 
SECOND QUARTER

• After an opening second-quarter basket from UMass, Paula Maurina and Talya Brugler opened a quick 5-0 spurt in back-to-back possessions, building the advantage to double-digits for the first time in the game.
• A three-point play from Mackenzie Smith built the lead to as many as 12 before the visitors started chipping away.
• A 7-0 run from the Minutewomen cut the St. Joe's lead to five before four-straight points from Brugler and Smith stopped the spurt.
• UMass wasn't finished, adding another 7-0 run over the final two minutes before a pair of free throws from Aleah Snead with a second remaining gave the Hawks a 36-32 advantage heading into the half.

 
THIRD QUARTER

• Brugler started the third with four points for St. Joe's, doubling the advantage for St. Joe's after the opening two minutes.
• Six points from UMass cut the deficit to two, before the two sides traded punches over the middle of the frame.
• The Hawk lead remained just two until Gabby Casey knocked down a three from the corner to make it a two-score game.
• Brugler's 17^th point of the afternoon countered a Minutewomen bucket with under a minute to play, SJU entering the final 10 minutes with a 52-47 advantage.

 
FOURTH QUARTER

• Despite numerous attempts from the Hawks to extend the advantage, UMass responded with an answer as neither team strung together more than three points in a row over the course of the opening six minutes of the fourth.
• The trend continued through the two-minute mark, the Hawks leading by four points before a pair of Brugler free throws increased the lead to six. UMass resorted to extending the game by fouling, St. Joe's knocking in six more free throws to take a 12-point lead.
• During the span, UMass' hot shooting finally cooled off, missing six shots in a row since the 2:08 mark. The cold spurt allowed the Hawks to extend and escape with a 77-67 win for the eighth win in a row.

 
 
GAME NOTES

• Talya Brugler notched her second 30-point game of her career, leading the Hawks with a season-high 30 points on the afternoon. Brugler shot 10-14 from the field and 9-11 from the line, adding seven rebounds and four assists in 38 minutes of play. Brugler's career-high was 34 points, set at Davidson last season.
• Mackenzie Smith finished as the only other Hawk in double-figures, scoring 14 points and matching Brugler with a team-high four assists.
• All eight players scored at least four points and grabbed at least two rebounds, seven of the eight players making two free throws.
• St. Joe's finished 24-51 (47.1%) from the field and 5-12 (41.7%) from distance. The Hawks knocked down 24-28 (85.7%) of the attempts from the charity stripe, 16 of the attempts coming in the fourth quarter.
• The Hawks assisted on 19 of the 24 baskets, six Hawks finishing with multiple dimes.
• Saint Joseph's broke a four-game losing streak to the Minutewomen. The Hawks are now 52-16 all-time against UMass, 27-6 at home.
• The Hawks overcame a 29-56 (51.8%) effort from the field from UMass, who knocked down 8-16 (50.0) of its attempts from distance. Alexsia Rose led the Minutewomen with 22 points and four assists.
• It is the fourth time in the last 15 years that the Hawks won a game despite the opposition shooting above 50%. The Minutewomen hold the best field goal percentage of a Hawk opponent all season.
• UMass became the eighth opponent to shoot 50% inside Hagan Arena, the Hawks now 1-7 all-time in those games.
• The Hawks are one game shy of tying the 1976-77 team that started at 22-2.

 
 
UP NEXT
St. Joe's travels for a clash between two of the top three teams in the Atlantic 10, facing George Mason in a 7 p.m. tip on Thursday, February 8.