PITTSBURGH, Pa. – A 27-point effort set a new career record for Laura Ziegler, Mackenzie Smith adding 24 points of her own as the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team took down Duquesne in a 77-73 victory at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse on Saturday afternoon.
 
Saint Joseph's tied the program record for most wins in a season, moving to 26-4 on the season to finish 15-3 in the Atlantic 10. The Hawks secured the double-bye entering next week's Atlantic 10 Tournament, while Duquesne falls to 18-11 overall and 13-5 in conference action.
 
 
FIRST QUARTER

• Laura Ziegler opened with the first five points for the Hawks before Mackenzie Smith buried a three to put St. Joe's up 8-6 in the early stages of the first.
• Ziegler tallied a three of her own, Smith driving past her defender to lay in the easy bucket to extend the Hawk lead to 13-8.
• After Gabby Casey knocked down a corner three to break the Duquesne full court pressure, Ziegler grabbed her 10^th point of the quarter to help the Hawks rally to an 18-14 lead after the first quarter.

 
SECOND QUARTER

• Two quick buckets out of the gate for the hosts saw Duquesne take a 19-18 lead, forcing the Hawks into a timeout just a minute into the second frame.
• The Hawks lived by the three early on, Ziegler draining a pair before Smith knocked down her second of the game to spark a 7-0 run for St. Joe's as the visitors went up 31-25.
• Duquesne responded with a 10-0 run of its own before Aleah Snead stopped the bleeding with the final bucket of the half, the Hawks going into the break trailing 35-33.

 
THIRD QUARTER

• Talya Brugler opened the half with her first points of the afternoon after early foul trouble limited her in the opening 20 minutes, connecting again to cut the Hawk deficit to two.
• Brugler helped spark a 7-0 run into the media timeout after a three pointer from Julia Nyström gave the Hawks a three-point advantage.
• On the other end of the timeout, six more points from the Hawks extended the run to 13-0 as the Hawks built a 50-41 advantage.
• Smith completed a pair of three-point plays, one a triple from the wing and the other an and-one that rattled around the entire rim before dropping. Smith's 14^th point of the game helped the Hawks take a 56-47 advantage into the final frame.

 
FOURTH QUARTER

• St. Joe's opened the fourth quarter on a 10-4 run, Smith and Ziegler once again sandwiching either side with triples.
• Ziegler splashed in her fifth three of the game just moments later, setting a new career-high with her 27^th point of the game to give the Hawks a game-high 16-point lead.
• The hosts responded with a 13-3 run helped cut the deficit to as little as four, but the Hawks were able to knock down enough free throws to keep the Dukes at bay to secure a 77-73 win.

 
 
GAME NOTES

• Laura Ziegler led the Hawks with 27 points, setting a career-high on the afternoon after an 11-16 performance from the field, shooting 5-6 from distance. Ziegler also recorded 12 rebounds for her 13^th double-double of the season and matched her career-high with six assists.
• In two games against the Dukes this season, Ziegler averaged 26.0 points, 11.5 rebounds and 5.0 assists after a 25/11/4 effort against Duquesne in Hagan Arena to set her then career-best in scoring.
• Mackenzie Smith knocked down all four of her attempts from three, going 8-11 from the field in a 24-point effort while adding five rebounds.
• Talya Brugler finished a point shy of double figures, adding six rebounds to her nine points.        
• Julia Nyström tied her career-high with seven assists while adding five points for St. Joe's.
• The Hawks shot 28-58 (48.3%) from the field and 11-21 (52.4%) from distance, assisting on 22 of the 28 made baskets.
• Duquesne finished 29-65 (44.6%) from the field, knocking down just 7-24 (29.2%) from distance.
• The 26 wins matches the program record set by the 1996-97 team that finished 26-5 on the season.
• St. Joe's has won six consecutive games against Duquesne, moving to 49-13 all-time against the Dukes.

 
 
UP NEXT
The Hawks head into the Atlantic 10 Tournament next week, earning a double-bye to head straight into the quarterfinals.