FAIRFAX, Va. – A matchup between two of the top Atlantic 10 teams entering conference play lived up to its billing on Thursday afternoon as the Saint Joseph's women's basketball team used a near-flawless effort from the free throw line to fend off a late comeback attempt by George Mason in a 61-55 win.
 
Talya Brugler led the Hawks with 18 points, including an 8-8 effort from the free throw line and a perfect 2-2 from distance. Laura Ziegler finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds for her 31^st double-double of her career, while Mackenzie Smith ended with 14 points, seven rebounds and three steals.
 
Paula Suarez finished with a team-high 18 points for George Mason, scoring all 13 points for the Patriots in the first quarter. Kennedy Harris added 17 points, while Nalani Kaysia finished with 11 points and nine rebounds.
 
Saint Joseph's (11-2, 2-0 Atlantic 10) built a double-digit lead at the end of the opening quarter, extending it to as many as 14 in the opening half to take a 33-22 advantage into the half. George Mason (11-2, 1-1 Atlantic 10) cut the deficit to within five midway through the third quarter, using an 11-3 run to more than halve its deficit. Mackenzie Smith answered with a triple to help extend the lead to 43-34 with 10 minutes to play.
 
Opening the fourth quarter on an 11-4 run, the Patriots brought the game within two points with just five minutes to play. Talya Brugler ended the run with a three from the wing, before the Patriots clawed back within 52-50 with 2:20 remaining. The Hawks held George Mason scoreless over the next four possessions, finishing 9-10 from the charity stripe over the final 40 seconds to secure their sixth-straight victory and move to 2-0 to start Atlantic 10 action.


INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Ziegler became the 10^th Hawk to record 700 career rebounds, finishing one shy of her career-best with 15 rebounds. The junior entered the day ranked ninth in the country in rebounding. Ziegler moved to 29^th in program history in scoring after registering her 1,000^th career point against VCU.
• Ziegler registered her 10^th double-double of the season and 31^st of her career, moving into third all-time and just one shy of Teresa Carmichael's 32 double-doubles.
• Brugler's 18 points moves her to within 57 points of reaching the top five in scoring in program history, while Mackenzie Smith surpassed Erin Shields (2010-14) for 11^th and is 17 points shy of entering the top 10.
• Brugler and Ziegler have recorded double-digits in all 13 games on the season.
• Despite a nearly 70% effort from the field in the opening quarter, the Hawks finished just 18-52 (34.6%) from the field. St. Joe's shot 8-19 (42.1%) from three and went 17-18 (94.4%) from the free throw line.
• The Hawk defense stifled George Mason to just 20-63 (31.7%) shooting and 5-19 (26.3%) from the field.
• St. Joe's never trailed in the game, leading for 38:56 of the contest.
• SJU has won three of the last four at George Mason, improving to 5-3 away from home and 12-6 overall against the Patriots.
• St. Joe's continues its longest win streak of the season with the sixth-consecutive win.

UP NEXT
St. Joe's return to Philadelphia for a clash against La Salle on 20^th and Olney. The Hawks and Explorers meet in a 2 p.m. tip on Sunday, January 5.