HENRICO, Va. – The Saint Joseph's women's basketball team enters the Atlantic 10 Tournament on Friday evening, taking on the winner of #6 Rhode Island/#11 Dayton in the quarterfinals.

GAME INFORMATION: #3 St. Joe's vs. #6 Rhode Island/#11 Dayton
DATE/TIME: Friday, March 8 | 7:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Henrico Sports and Events Center | Henrico, Va.
LIVE STATS: Click Here
LIVE STREAM: ESPN+
 
LAST TIME OUT
• The Hawks capped off the regular season with an emphatic win over Duquesne in Pittsburgh to guarantee a double-bye in the Atlantic 10 Tournament, defeating the Dukes 77-73.
• Trailing at the half for just the fifth time on the season, the Hawks came out of the gate with a 13-0 midway through the third quarter to jump to a nine-point lead heading into the fourth. The Hawks increased the lead to as many as 16, a late flurry from the Dukes never getting into a single possession as St. Joe's earned its sixth consecutive victory over Duquesne.
• Ziegler set a career-high 27 points on the day with 12 rebounds for her 21st double-double of her career, while Mackenzie Smith added 24 points as the two combined for 9-10 from the three. Julia Nyström tied her career-high with seven assists in the win.
 

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.
 
 
CHASING HISTORY
• The 2023-24 squad tied the 1996-97 team that set the program record for wins in a season, looking to earn their 27th win of the season in the A-10 quarterfinals.
• The 26 wins on a season is the most under Head Coach Cindy Griffin, previously recording a best of 24 wins in her first year on Hawk Hill in 2001-02.

 
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 Hawks are 59-13 all-time against Rhode Island, the most wins over any school in program history. St. Joe's won both matchups this year against the Rams.
• The Hawks hold a 15-21 record against Dayton, one of just two A-10 schools that the Crimson and Gray have a losing record against.

 
SAINT JOSEPH'S | Roster | Schedule | Stats
• Mackenzie Smith has scored double digits in 14 of her last 16 games and became the 30^th Hawk to reach 1,000 career points against Dayton. Smith moved to 23^rd all-time in scoring after 24 points against Duquesne.
• Talya Brugler sits at third in the A-10 in points per game (16.0) pacing the conference with the best shooting percentage of 54.0%.
• Laura Ziegler posted a career-high 27 points against Duquesne, adding 12 rebounds and six assists to her performance.
• Brugler (79) and Ziegler (77) 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 sixth-best scoring defense in the country by allowing just 54.0 points per game.
• The Hawks hold one of the top percentages from the free throw line. SJU has knocked down 81.3% of its attempts (325-400), the mark good for third in the NCAA. St. Joe's ranks first among Atlantic 10 teams in FT%. The 17-17 effort against Rhode Island was the best since an 18-18 performance against La Salle on February 17, 2019.
• St. Joe's has made the Atlantic 10 Championship game both times under Coach Griffin as a #3 seed, falling both times in the finals.