VILLANOVA, Pa. – The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team meets a familiar foe in the WBIT quarterfinals, setting up a rematch on this year's matchup against Villanova on Thursday evening.

GAME INFORMATION: St. Joe's at Villanova
DATE/TIME: Thursday, March 28 | 7:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Finneran Pavilion | Villanova, Pa.
LIVE STATS: Click Here
LIVE STREAM: ESPN+
TICKETS: Click Here

 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Hawks went out to Cali for the second round of the WBIT, taking down California in a narrow 63-61 for the first win in program history on the road against a Pac-12 school.
• Chloe Welch scored 16 points in the first half, growing a 12-point advantage before a pair of threes cut the deficit at the half at 35-29. The Hawks were able to build the lead to 10 in the fourth quarter before a 9-0 run from the hosts dropped the SJU lead to one. Free throws from Welch and a last second defensive stand allowed the Hawks to escape with the win to move to the quarterfinals.
• St. Joe's was led by Welch and Laura Ziegler, the two of them each scoring a team-high 19 points. Talya Brugler scored 11 points and had a team-high nine rebounds, while Mackenzie Smith secured the game-winning block along with her 10 points.

 
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
• For the second time in as many years, the Hawks placed three players on the Atlantic 10 All-Conference Teams. Laura Ziegler (1st), Talya Brugler (2nd) and Mackenzie Smith (2nd) made the team in back-to-back seasons after becoming the first trio in nearly 20 years for St. Joe's to earn all-conference nods.
• Ziegler joined Brugler and Natasha Cloud as the only other Hawks in the last decade to make the First Team.
• Ziegler was also added to the All-Defensive Team, while Brugler earned All-Academic distinction.
 
 
MAKING HISTORY
• With the win over Dayton, the Hawks moved to 23-2 on the season, the first time in the 50+ year history that St. Joe's held just two losses after 25 games.
• The Hawks are guaranteed to record fewer than 10 losses on the season for just the third time in 23 years under Coach Griffin and just the 15th time since 1981-82.
• The 2023-24 squad surpassed the 1996-97 team that set the program record for wins in a season, looking to earn their 29th win of the season in the second round of the WBIT.
• Since 1981-82, the Hawks' best season came through the 1996-97 team that finished with an 83.9% win percentage after a 26-5 season.

 
TWO HAWKS EARNING NATIONAL ATTENTION
• Talya Brugler and Laura Ziegler were named to the USBWA Ann Meyers Drysdale Award and All-America Watch List, two of 40 to be selected and one of 11 pairs of teammates to earn the accolades.

 
SERIES HISTORY
• The two teams meet for the 50^th time in program history on Thursday evening.
• The Hawks are 28-21 all-time against the Wildcats, breaking a seven-game losing streak over Villanova in the win earlier this year. The Hawks were winners of 22 of the first 28 games in the series.

 
SAINT JOSEPH'S | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Game Notes
• St. Joe's enters its 26th postseason appearance, the 14th under the direction of head coach Cindy Griffin. Griffin has two NCAA appearances and 11 WNIT appearances in her tenure on Hawk Hill.
• The Hawks are 17-25 all-time in the postseason, 10 of the 17 wins coming during the Griffin era.
• Talya Brugler leads the conference with a 53.7% shooting percentage among qualified players, entering the matchup with the Wildcats with 15.5 points per game.
• Brugler (82) and Ziegler (79) lead the Hawks in assists, combining for 18 games with at least four assists.
• St. Joe's is one of the stingiest defenses in the country, entering the matchup with the fifth-best scoring defense in the country by allowing just 54.1 points per game.
• The Hawks hold one of the top percentages from the free throw line. SJU has knocked down 81.0% of its attempts (349-431), the mark good for third in the NCAA. St. Joe's ranks first among Atlantic 10 teams in FT%.
 
 
VILLANOVA | Roster | Schedule | Stats | Game Notes
• Villanova earned its 20^th win of the season in the win over Virginia in the second round, marking the third-consecutive year that the Wildcats recorded a 20-win season. The Wildcats have won 36 of their last 42 home games, making the Finneran Pavilion a fortress during the last three seasons.
• The Wildcats are led by Lucy Olsen, who earned All-American honorable mention honors by the Associated Press. Olsen was also named First Team All-Big East and Most Improved Player of the Year in the league, leading the team with a 23.6 points per game average on the year. Olsen also adds nearly five rebounds per game and ties for a team-high 121 assists. Christina Dalce also leads the Villanova squad, her defensive presence earning her Co-Defensive Player of the Year in the Big East. The junior forward averages just over eight points per game, but secures 9.7 rebounds per contest and has 25 steals and 72 blocks on the season. Maddie Webber concludes the Villanova trio that earned Big East honors, her 7.7 points per game earning her a spot on the Big East All-Freshman Team