VILLANOVA, Pa. – The historic season for the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team came to an end on Thursday evening as the Hawks fell 67-59 to Big 5 foe Villanova in the WBIT quarterfinals inside the Finneran Pavilion.
A record-setting performance saw St. Joe's win a program-best 28 games, making its first postseason quarterfinal since the 2004 season.
FIRST QUARTER
- The Hawks missed the first seven shots of the game, but were able to limit the damage to a 4-3 deficit after five minutes by getting to the free throw line.
- Mackenzie Smith knocked down the first bucket of the game for the Hawks, but the Wildcats took a 9-5 lead into the opening media timeout thanks to a Kaitlyn Orihel triple.
- Back-to-back buckets from Talya Brugler balanced out the Wildcats' scoring, but the hosts took a 14-9 lead into the second quarter.
SECOND QUARTER
- The Hawks were plagued early in the second quarter by second chance opportunities as the Wildcats recorded four offensive rebounds for six points in the opening five minutes of the frame.
- Villanova slowly built the lead to as many as 13 points in the quarter before Laura Ziegler scored her first three points of the evening to draw back within 10.
- A pair of three-point plays from Chloe Welch and Gabby Casey minimized the deficit to as few as eight before the Wildcats scored on the final possession to extend the lead back to 36-26.
THIRD QUARTER
- A prolonged 7-2 run saw the Hawks cut the deficit to seven after a driving layup from Mackenzie Smith, Paula Maurina cutting the lead down to six on the next possession for the Hawks.
- The two teams traded baskets over the course of the final six minutes, the Villanova lead growing to eight after Lucy Olsen's second basket of the game put Villanova up 49-41 with one quarter remaining.
FOURTH QUARTER
- A quick three points to open the quarter for St. Joe's forced Villanova head coach Denise Dillon into a timeout as the Hawks trailed 49-44.
- After the Wildcats reaped the reward from the timeout with a three-pointer on the next possession, the Hawks grabbed an answer as Gabby Casey launched one of her own to keep Villanova within five.
- A pair of free throws cut the deficit to as little as three, but a 7-0 swing in a 90-second span pushed the Villanova lead back to 10 points with five minutes to play.
- St. Joe's was able to battle back to cut the lead to six, but the Wildcats were able to knock down free throws down the stretch to withstand a late Hawk run to defeat the Hawks in a 67-59 final scoreline.
GAME NOTES
- The Hawks were led by Talya Brugler, who moved into ninth all-time in program history in scoring with 20 points on the evening.
- Mackenzie Smith added 13 points, while securing seven rebounds, three assists and two steals for the Hawks.
- Gabby Casey provided a spark off the bench with 11 points while recording six rebounds, four offensive boards to go along with a block.
- Chloe Welch finished a storied career with eight points, three rebounds and two assists on her 149th career appearance. Welch ended her career with 1,348 points and 594 rebounds.
- Laura Ziegler had an off night offensively but added a team-high in rebounds (9) and and assists (5).
- St. Joe's shot just 21-61 (34.4%) from the field, including a 3-16 (18.8%) effort from distance. The Hawks recorded a season-high 16 offensive rebounds.
- Villanova was led by Lucy Olsen and Bella Runyan, each scoring 16 points on the night. Olsen's 16 points all came in the second half, the Hawks holding the AP All-American Honorable Mention scoreless at the half. Christina Dalce finished with a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double.
- Villanova finished 25-57 (43.9%) from the floor with a 12-15 (80.0%) effort from the free throw line.
- The March 28 contest was the latest game played in program history and the first time in program history that the Hawks and Wildcats twice in a year.
- St. Joe's finishes its season tied for most road wins in the country (15), setting a program record 28 wins that was previously held by a 26-5 season from the 1996-97 squad.
